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The northbound passenger car apparently pulled in front of the tractor trailer, which veered to the right side of the roadway in an attempt to avoid collision near Countryside Funeral Home in Readington Township, around 6:40 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17 , the Flemington-Raritan First Aid and Rescue Squad said.
The vehicles briefly collided, but then the tractor left the roadway, struck a utility pole, crashed through a billboard, and then ran down a steep embankment before coming to rest partially overturned about seventy five feet from the roadway, the rescue squad said.
Responders worked to free the trapped tractor trailer driver, using reciprocating saws to removal the windshield, cab visor and other obstructions. The driver was assisted into a basket stretcher and packaged for the haul up to the roadway.
Personnel up on the roadway built a 3:1 rope-based mechanical advantage system and anchored it to the rescue vehicle. Once the basket stretcher was on the ladder, the haul system was used to gently bring the basket up to the roadway, responders said.
The driver was flown to Capital Health in Trenton, and the driver of the passenger car was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center by ambualance, responders said.
The Hunterdon County Hazardous Materials Response Team responded to handle the diesel fuel leaking from the truck. Superior Towing was tasked with recovering the tractor trailer. The crash was investigated by the Readington Township Police Department.
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