Driver Taken by Helicopter to Hospital Following Overturned Tractor Trailer Accident on 78

Emergency responders were busy aiding an accident victim for several hours on Thanksgiving morning following a crash on Route 78. 

According to Springfield First Aid Squad Captain Apu Mullick, a tractor trailer coming off of Route 78 overturned on the guardrail of the Exit 49B ramp, heading on to Springfield Avenue shortly after 9 a.m.

Mullick said the circumstances of the crash made extraction difficult. 

"Because the truck was over the guardrail, as well as the accident happening in the middle of the exit ramp, access to the scene was limited and it took over two hours to free the driver," Mullick said in an email.

The truck driver was the only person injured in the crash. Members of the Springfield First Aid Squad and Springfield Fire Department, Atlantic paramedics and the New Jersey State Police NorthSTAR Medevac flight team treated the victim on scene and during transport to University Hospital in Newark. Firefighters from Millburn, Summit, Union and Elizabeth assisted in the extrication. In addition, Springfield, Union and NJ State Police, the NJ Dept. of Transportation and Union County Hazardous Materials Team were on scene.

The ramp was closed down for several hours as emergency responders cleared the accident scene.