7 Hospitalized As NJ Transit Bus Crashes Into Ditch

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Seven people, including a toddler and a baby, had to be taken to a hospital Tuesday evening when an NJ Transit bus drove into a ditch in Woodbridge.

However, all seven, including the children, only suffered minor injuries, said Sgt. Phil Augusta of Woodbridge Police. The NJ Transit bus drove into a marshy, swampy ditch and it took several hours for crews to pull the bus out of the ditch using heavy-duty cranes and towing equipment.

The accident happened at 4:40 p.m. Tuesday on Port Reading Avenue at East Tappan Street in Woodbridge: An NJ Transit bus rear-ended the back of an Accura, which then rear-ended the car in front of it.

The impact of hitting the Accura caused the bus to veer off the road and go down an embankment, said Sgt. Agosta. News 12 has dramatic photos of the bus in the marshy ditch. That ditch actually has a name: Prologis Pond.

There were 17 people on board, and seven of them had to be taken to hospitals for complaints of pain. Those seven included a 3-year-old child and a newborn baby. Four people were taken to JFK Medical Center; two were taken to Rahway University Hospital and one was taken to Raritan Bay Medical Center Perth Amboy. However, all the injuries were minor, and all were reports of pain, said police.

Woodbridge Police do not think anyone was admitted to the hospital Tuesday night.

The NJ Transit bus driver was not one of the seven taken to the hospital. It took several hours for Woodbridge Police and B&L Towing to pull the move out of the marshy ditch, using heavy-duty rotators.

The NJ Transit bus was on the 48 line heading from Perth Amboy to Elizabeth.

Woodbridge Police are handling the investigation. As of Wednesday morning, no charges have been filed.