7 Hurt In Chain Reaction Crash Near Linden Gas Station

 Seven people were injured in a chain-reaction crash involving three vehicles in Linden, including one that was being filled with gas at a service station.

Police tell The Star-Ledger that the accident occurred just before 11 a.m. Saturday when a driver traveling south on Routes 1 and 9 lost control of a car carrying five people. The car hit a curb and toppled a utility pole before hitting a vehicle that was turning into the station.

The impact sent the second vehicle into a car that was being filled with gasoline. The force of that crash knocked over a gas pump, spilling an undetermined amount of fuel, but a station attendant was able to flip an emergency switch and quickly shut off the flow of fuel.

All five people in the first car and two people who were in the other vehicles were all taken to hospitals, but their names and further details on their injuries were not disclosed. No station employees were injured in the accident.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

The crash caused authorities to shut down all southbound lanes of the highway for a few hours, and some nearby roads were briefly closed. But no major travel problems were reported.

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