Victims ID'd In Snowplow Highway Overpass Accident: Prosecutor

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — Authorities have identified the three victims who were injured after a snowplow fell through the bottom of a Hawthorne footbridge and onto a utility van on Route 208 Monday morning.

Don Turner Jr. 42, of Hawthorne, was operating the snowplow when the floor of the footbridge collapsed. The snowplow fell through the overpass and landed on top of the van, which was traveling northbound on the highway, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said.

Patrick O'Dell, 64, was driving the van and John DesLauriers, 22, both of Hawthorne, was in the front seat when the snowplow landed on the van, Valdes said.

Turner and DesLauriers were seriously injured. They were taken to and admitted at St. Joseph's University Hospital for further treatment. O'Dell was also taken to the hospital.

As for the size of the hole, it "was big enough for a Bobcat to fall through," Hawthorne Police Department Capt. Jeffrey Vanderhook previously said.

Part of northbound Route 208 and at least one southbound lane were closed while the footbridge was repaired, the New Jersey Department of Transportation said in a press release.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation, State Police, Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, and Hawthorne Police Department are investigating the accident.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com