Old Bridge Man, 27, Dies In Freak Woodbridge Accident

WOODBRIDGE TOWNSHIP, NJ — A 27-year-old man sitting in his car in the usual afternoon traffic on Route 440 Wednesday afternoon was killed in a freak, tragic accident when a garbage truck toppled onto his car, Woodbridge police said. His car was crushed, and he was declared dead at the scene, police said.

The accident happened at 4:38 p.m. Wednesday. A truck carrying trash entered the two-lane ramp connecting Riverside Drive with Route 9 south, which crosses over the Route 9 bridge into Sayreville. As usual, traffic was backed up during the afternoon commute and many cars were idle, not moving.

As the truck turned onto the ramp, the weight inside it shifted, causing the truck to go up onto the curb and then topple over. It toppled directly over on top of two cars in the left lane, Sgt. James Chessere of the Woodbridge Township police said.

Brian Claussen, 27, of Old Bridge, was pronounced dead at the scene, he said. His family has been notified.

The occupants of the other car, one of which was reportedly a child, were taken to a local hospital, and the extent of their injuries is unknown. According to Chessere, Woodbridge traffic investigators have been at the accident scene since last night, trying to determine if the truck was speeding. The truck is an open container truck used to haul trash.

Photo: View north at the south end of the multiplex of U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 9 (U.S. Route 1&9) just south of St. George Avenue (New Jersey Route 35) in Woodbridge, New JerseyBy Famartin - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/...