Metro

Driver airlifted after tractor-trailer is left dangling off highway

A truck driver is fighting for his life after his tractor-trailer careened off a Garden State highway and was left dangling in flames over a Creek—where he was rescued, authorities said.

The 66-year-old driver, from Vails Gate, in Orange County, was heading north on the New Jersey Turnpike near Overpeck County Park in Ridgefield when he lost control of the truck at 5:35 a.m., a New Jersey State Police source said.

The trailer went over the guardrail and was left hanging over the edge of an overpass, at which point the driver either fell or jumped into the creek, the State Police source said.

The victim was rescued by helicopter to St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey for severe burns, according to a spokesman, Trooper Jeff Flynn from the New Jersey State police said.

A portion of the Turnpike was closed while State Police conducted an investigation of the crash but was later reopened, police said.

The trailer belongs to National Freight Inc., a company based out of Lebanon, Indiana, sources said.