Multiple Drivers Land in Hospital Following Route 78 Accident

UPDATED: Emergency workers from Springfield, Summit and Berkeley Heights responded to a multi-auto accident on Interstate 78 last night.

The accident occurred shortly after 8:30 p.m. at mile marker 38, on the border of Summit and Springfield. The cause of the accident, which reportedly involved a tractor-trailer and eight cars, has not yet been made publicly available. New Jersey State Police said that the injuries sustained in the accident were minor.

Summit Fire Department Battalion Chief Richard Locke acted as I-78 command. Firefighters from Springfield provided basic life support care and helped load patients into a Berkeley Heights First Aid Squad ambulance. The fire crews applied absorbent for fluid spilled by some of the vehicles.

Six patients received treatment from the Berkeley Heights, Summit and Springfield ambulance crews that responded to the accident. Two were described as "walking wounded" while four patients given full spinal immobilization. Summit First Aid Squad took two patients to Morristown Medical Center and the Springfield and Berkeley Heights Squads took the remainder to Overlook.