A dozen vehicles in crash, many overturn, shutting Route 280

WEST ORANGE — Nearly a dozen vehicles were involved in a crash on Route 280 that closed the westbound lanes for several hours on Monday evening.

The driver of a tractor trailer hauling a flat bed load of cement bags lost control, spilling the bags all over the eastbound lanes near exit 9 for Pleasant Ave in West Orange around 6 p.m. according to State Police spokesman Sgt. FC Jeff Flynn. The incident caused as many as a dozen other vehicles to overturn and crash, causing "minor to moderate" injuries.

Flynn did not yet have an exact count of the number of vehicles and injured involved and said the investigation is ongoing.

Most of the injured were taken via ambulance to University Hospital in Newark, West Orange Fire Chief Anthony Vecchio told TAP into West Orange.

The impact of the crash caused the truck driver, Adanny Cubilla-Cardoso, 28, of Largo, Florida, to ejected from the cab of the truck but he suffered only minor injuries, according to Flynn. No charges have been filed.

Tonisha Woods, a witness to the crash driving in the westbound lane, told ABC 7 Eyewitness News the truck hit the concrete barrier, went in the air and turned sideways before landing. Helicopter footage showed a crane being used to lift the truck off the roadway

The westbound lanes were completely closed for an hour and then lanes closed as needed for the clean up and investigation.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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