EDISON — A notoriously low railroad bridge in the township was the site of a crash in which an 81-year-old man riding an ambulance was injured when it struck the overpass, police said.

The South Plainfield ambulance was headed south on Parsonage Road after 11 p.m. on Saturday, when the top of the vehicle hit the bridge not far from Hackensack Meridian Health JFK University Medical Center in Edison, according to police.

The patient, from the Iselin section of Woodbridge, was thrown out the back doors by the force of the impact and suffered a serious injury to his wrist.

He was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

It was unclear what the man had initially been seeking treatment for, police said.

The railroad overpass, which has a clearance of less than 9 feet, has been the site of numerous, similar incidents involving trucks and large vehicles over the years, according to police.

Recent improvements to the bridge include installation of metal I-beams on both sides and a fresh layer of bright, yellow paint, police said, as well as cautionary signage leading up to the overpass from both directions.

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