2,500 Lb Steel Beam Fell Off Truck In Serious Rt. 17 Crash

A man was seriously injured when a 2,500-lbs. steel beam dislodged from a tractor-trailer on Route 17 and struck a car, police said.

A tractor-trailer carrying tiles became disabled in the center lane on Route 17 northbound in Paramus when its brakes locked up, Paramus Deputy Chief Robert M. Guidetti.

Another tractor-trailer carrying steel beams was also on Route 17 northbound and tried avoiding crashing into a vehicle entering the highway from Fairview Avenue, police said. It collided with the disabled tractor-trailer, spilling the beams across both sides of the highway, police said.

One of beams struck a 2014 Toyota Corolla on Route 17 South, Guidetti said. The 56-year-old driver had to be extricated from the vehicle by the Paramus Rescue Squad. He was seriously injured and taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, police said.

A 2005 Ford Escort driven by a 48-year-old Midland Park man on Route 17 South was also struck by a steel beam, police said. He complained of chest and back pain. Police did say not if he was taken to the hospital.

Route 17 was closed around 5:15 a.m. in both directions between Century Road and the Rochelle Park Border in Paramus because of a tractor-trailer crash, according to authorities.

Route 17 South was reopened by 7:40 a.m., Route 17 North was reopened by 9:45 a.m.

The Paramus Police Traffic Division and the New Jersey State Police Commercial Carrier Safety Inspection Unit are investigating the crash.

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