PARAMUS, N.J. — A dump truck slammed into multiple utility poles on Route 4 Wednesday morning, bringing down live electrical wires that trapped the driver and triggered major traffic backups in both directions.
The crash happened on the eastbound highway between Spring Valley Road and Forest Avenue.
Live wires fell onto the truck, temporarily trapping the driver inside. The driver was not injured, Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti's office said, according to reports in CBS and the Daily Voice.
Eastbound traffic was restricted to the left lane as police, firefighters, rescue crews and utility workers responded.
A second crash on the westbound side, beneath Forest Avenue, added to the gridlock. The left and middle lanes were closed while crews cleared the wreckage.
The second crash may have been caused by drivers slowing down to look at the first crash, Paramus police said, although that had not been confirmed. An ambulance was dispatched to the westbound scene, but information about possible injuries was not immediately available.
Paramus police, firefighters and emergency management personnel responded alongside the New Jersey Department of Transportation, New Jersey State Police, Bergen County EMS and the Bergen County Sheriff's Office.
The crashes caused significant delays on one of Bergen County's busiest highways during the Wednesday morning commute.
