What to Know
- Two people died and at least three were seriously injured when a double-decker Megabus crashed on the New Jersey Turnpike on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022.
- The bus collided with a pickup truck on the southbound entrance ramp to the Thomas Edison Service Area in Woodbridge Township around 7 p.m., New Jersey State Police said.
- The driver of the bus was among 23 people aboard at the time, state police said.
At least two people died and three others were seriously hurt when a Megabus from New York City collided with a pickup truck on the New Jersey Turnpike Tuesday and flipped over, according to police and Coach USA, which operates the bus.
"Seeing the severity of some of the injuries, it was just like, I can't believe... I just could not fathom that I was okay," passenger Reid Kleinman told NBC10.
The double-decker bus was heading from 34th Street in New York City to Philadelphia when it collided with a Ford F-150 pickup truck on the southbound entrance ramp to the Thomas Edison Service Area in Woodbridge Township around 7 p.m., New Jersey State Police said.
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The deceased were identified Wednesday as 59-year-old Cheryl Johnson, of the Bronx, New York, and 66-year-old Cecilia Kiyanitza of Woodbury, New Jersey.
The pickup was driving in the lane next to the bus when the bus driver lost control and struck the vehicle, going off the road, striking the guardrail and overturning onto the Thomas Edison Service Area entrance ramp, state police said.
Aboard the bus were the 56-year-old driver and 22 passengers, the NJSP said. The driver and two passengers sustained serious injuries, 14 passengers sustained non-life-threatening injuries and four other passengers were uninjured, according to state police.
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Footage from the scene was dramatic, with the bus seen on its side as people had to climb out windows or the roof hatch to escape.
"I got an overturned bus on its side, I got people exiting right now," Broadcastify audio said.
"Called 911, and then opened up the emergency exit and helped everyone out and hopped out... and there were a lot of bystanders there to help which was great," Kleinman recalled. "And then got out and just sat their while the EMTs kind of took care of everybody."
Firefighters were seen using jaws of life to cut into the vehicle to rescue any others who may have been inside.
The crash shut down lanes for hours, though they reopened by early Wednesday morning.
The crash remains under investigation.
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