Dump truck crash and fire closes Route 295 in Mercer County, NJ

A section of Route 295 in Mercer County will be closed for the afternoon commute after to a dump truck that crashed into an overhead sign and burst into flames on Friday morning.

The truck was traveling on southbound Route 295, veered across the grassy median and hit the overhead sign on the northbound lanes (heading towards Pennsylvania) at Route 31 in Hopewell around 10:15 a.m., according to State Police spokesman Alejandro Goez.

Several drivers stopped to pull the trucker out of the cab of the truck while it was still smoking.

Goez said the driver, a 42-year-old man, suffered severe injuries and was hospitalized.

The impact of the crash forced the sign support out of the ground, according to NJ DOT spokeswoman Judith Drucker, closing Route 295 northbound between Route 206 and Route 31.

Goez said police and DOT are awaiting the arrival of a crane to remove the sign. He did not have an estimated time of arrival of the crane, which could be delayed by a heavy thunderstorm moving through the area.

Contractors are on scene along with three flatbed trailers and a welding truck, according to Drucker.

The closure created delays on Route 206 near Rider University and on Franklin Corner Road by drivers heading to Route 1.

A dump truck crash on Route 1 at New Road in South Brunswick closed the road for most of the morning commute.

Dennis Symons of MidJersey.news contributed to this report

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