BEESLEY’S POINT – As thousands of tourists headed south into Cape May County to begin their Memorial Day Weekend getaways, many were jammed up in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Garden State Parkway due to a dump truck that crashed through the guardrails and went off the Great Egg Harbor Bridge, plunging into the water below.
Cause of the accident is under investigation. What is known is that the driver of the truck was saved by Jason Armbruster, a barge worker, and Aaron Grace, a crane operator, who jumped into the water without hesitation.
“The guy was at the window, you could see him…drowning,” Armbruster told The Press of Atlantic City. “So me and Aaron jumped in and smashed the window with a hammer. We were just trying to keep his face out of the water until they could cut his seat belt. I pulled his head up and then he started taking breaths.”
The accident which occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m., caused visitors to Cape May County to sit at a standstill on the Garden State Parkway at the beginning of the holiday weekend. The driver, of the dump truck, 50-year-old Theodore Parillo of Tuckerton, was airlifted to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City where he is listed as critical.
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Police say a dump truck crashed off a bridge on the Garden State Parkway and landed in the water, according to 6 ABC.
The crash happened just before 3 p.m. on the bridge over the Great Egg Harbor Bay in Marmora, Cape May County.
Police say a dump truck was travelling in the southbound lanes when it crashed.
Witnesses say the truck lost control, hit the left divider, and went off of the bridge on the right-hand side, according to NBC 40.
Police were able to rescue the driver, who was flown to Atlanticare Regional Medical Center in critical condition.
Police believe there was no one else in the vehicle.
No other vehicles were involved.
The parkway was briefly closed in the area, and had since reopened. However, New Jersey State Police say the lanes will have to be closed again for the investigation.
Police say Route 50 would be a better route for those heading to Cape May. Drivers should expect major delays on Parkway southbound north of the accident scene.
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