NEW JERSEY — A new video shows the moment an NJ Transit bus crashed into a truck on the New Jersey Turnpike in February, injuring more than two dozen passengers.
A 139 bus, operating from Lakewood to the New York Port Authority Terminal, collided with a Mack truck and a Freightliner as the three headed north in heavy rush hour traffic, the agency said. police at the time.
The bus was traveling at about 68 mph at the time of the accident, which blew off the windshield. The footage shows broken glass flying everywhere in the video of the incident that occurred on February 14 at around 7:30 a.m.
From another camera, the bus can be seen approaching the bus lane in the back of a cement truck. Then the collision near exit 13 in Elizabeth.
“I put my hands on the seat but it still wasn’t enough, my head still went forward and I broke my lip and my teeth hurt, my whole mouth hurt and my legs hit me,” said passenger Luisa Robles .
She said she is still suffering from whiplash and other injuries, and is seeing a physical therapist, but is glad to be alive.
Another passenger sitting in the front seemed to react before the driver himself, as they both ended up getting ready as the bus crashed into the back of the cement truck.
Several injured in New Jersey bus crash
NJ Transit said the driver was retrained and given the appropriate discipline, without specifying what it was.
Photos later taken on board showed that two dozen of the 32 passengers on board were injured in the collision. The firefighters used the tools to open the bus and reach the injured and bloody passengers. The bus was an older model and was not equipped with seat belts.
Twenty-five people, including the bus driver, were transported to area hospitals, while four passengers refused medical attention. None suffered serious injuries, according to police, adding previously that the remaining passengers were accommodated on another bus to continue their journey.
State police told our sister network Monday NBC New York reported that all three drivers involved received tickets: the cement truck driver, the tow truck driver and the bus driver for also following the closure at higher speeds.
The bus driver on the 911 call said he was cut off, which is why he slammed into the other vehicle as the three headed north in heavy rush hour traffic.
At least two passengers told NBC New York that they are exploring legal options for the injuries that remain after that violent collision.
An investigation is ongoing.
