Dump truck hits 2 troopers, ambulance, fire truck at Route 280 crash

WEST ORANGE — Two State Police troopers were struck by a dump truck during a crash investigation on Route 280 on Tuesday morning. In all 12 vehicles were involved with the crash, according to a count from aerial video by CBS New York.

A second crash involving a motorcycle blocked two lanes westbound at exit 7 for Pleasant Valley Way around 3 p.m. adding to the already long delay.

State Police said the troopers were outside their patrol cars with multiple pedestrians at a crash scene on the eastbound side near Exit 9.

The driver of the dump truck stayed on the scene. No charges have been announced.

State Police said there were no injuries to others on the scene. The troopers were hospitalized but officials have not described the extent of their injuries.

Aerial video by CBS New York shows two State Police vehicles with heavy front-end damage and a partially overturned dump truck.

An ambulance and a fire truck that had responded to the initial crash were also damaged.

A white work van and an SUV were damaged but it was not clear how from the video.

All eastbound lanes and westbound lanes were closed creating multi-mile delays in each direction. The exit from the Garden State Parkway to Route 280 West was closed.

Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver in a statement said "our thoughts are with the State Troopers, fire personnel, EMS professionals, and pedestrians who were injured in this morning’s incident" and wished them a quick recovery. She said in a tweet that she visited the troopers at University Hospital in Newark.

"While this is an ongoing investigation, it should remind us all of the dangers our first responders can encounter while performing their jobs on our roadways," Oliver said.

Oliver is the acting governor while Gov. Phil Murphy is on 10 day vacation out of the country.

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