Roxbury, NJ - Bus Over Embankment - 8/22/08

[x648eng119 2]

Date: 8/22/08

Time: Appx 1045

Location: Interstate 80 Westbound, In the area of Exit 32

Units Operating: Local Fire/PD/EMS, NJSP

Description Of Incident: 2 Tour buses collided, 1 went into guardrail pinning a van between bus and guardrail. Other bus went down an approxament 50 foot embankment

Writer: x648eng119

From WCBSTV.COM

2 Tour Buses Colide In N.J.; About A Dozen Hurt

Serious Crash Closes Westbound Lanes; 1 Bus Overturned, Down Embankment

Tour Buses Carrying 80 Passengers

ROXBURY, N.J. (CBS) ― All westbound lanes on Interstate 80 in Roxbury are closed as a result of a two bus collision near exit 32, CBS 2 HD has learned.

Sources tell CBS 2 the tour buses crashed on the westbound highway, near Berkshire Valley Road, overturning one of them. The overturned tour bus, from Atlantic Express, lies between the east and west bound lanes of Route 80.

Officials are reporting 12 injuries, none of them life threatening. The buses were carrying 80 passengers between the two of them.

Chopper 2 HD's Reggie Harrison said the overturned bus fell down an embankment in the highway's median. The other bus, which shows significant damage to its front, is pinning a mini-van against the guardrail.

CBS 2 spoke with Roxbury's Township Manager Chris Raths, who said the traffic is backed up for miles in both directions. The westbound side near the collision is completely empty due to the emergency vehicles accessing the scene.

A staging area is being organized at the Rockaway Townsquare Mall. Westbound interstate traffic already is backed up several miles, witnesses report.

The two buses collide traveling westbound, but it is not yet known what cuased the buses to converge.

Please stay tuned to CBS 2 and WCBSTV.com for the latest on this developing story.

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