Mantua firefighters responded to an accident involving an overturned traffic safety truck on Feb. 27 in the woods along Route 55, resulting in a delay of morning traffic and minor injuries to the driver.
The accident was reported at 9 a.m., according to fire officials, after the vehicle overturned and landed in the woods near exit 56 in the township. Firefighters arrived soon after and closed the right lane of 55, where tire tracks on the ground showed the point at which the truck went off of the road.
“Crews from Rescue 2218 and Deputy Chief 2202 arrived at a single commercial vehicle off the roadway and into the woods,” said Mantua Firefighter Victor Torino. “It was determined that the vehicle was a traffic safety truck.”
Gloucester County EMS later arrived at the accident scene to evaluate the vehicle’s driver; he has yet to be identified. No other vehicles were involved in the crash. The vehicle was transporting and as-yet unidentifed liquid, so traffic was further snarled as the road was cleared of any potentially hazardous materials.
“Crews stood by and contained fluids leaking from the vehicle until the truck was removed by the tow company,” said Torino. “Crews also were assisted by (the) Gloucester County Hazmat Assessment team with mitigating the leak.”
Removal of the vehicle and the cleaning of fluid took about two hours, Torino further explained, after which normal traffic resumed. The cause of the accident is under investigation by the New Jersey state police.
The Mantua fire department posted news of the accident on its Facebook page to inform residents of traffic issues and delays at the accident scene.
“Praying they are OK,” one person responded to the post.
