October 18, 2020 updated
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–Around 7:45 am the Robbinsville Township Fire Department and the Bordentown Township Fire Departments were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident in the area of mile marker 58 south bound with injuries.
Luckily there is a North-South response sent to accidents on the NJ Turnpike because there is constant confusion with exact locations when people call 9-1-1 to report accidents and fires. This accident was originally reported at mile marker 58.0 south bound inner roadway “car lanes” but the vehicle was at mile marker 58.8 south bound outer lanes or “truck lanes” When Robbinsville Township firefighters went to the reported inner roadway location they discovered the accident was on the outer roadway. They radioed ahead to the north bound Bordentown Township fire and EMS apparatus that they could make the U-turn at 7A to get to the accident.
Bordentown firefighters arrived on location on the inner roadway and determined that a vehicle rear ended a tractor trailer and there was one injury. Bordentown Township EMS transported the patient to a local hospital. No word on the condition of the patient.
NJ State Police was on scene investigating the crash.
It seems with almost every call on the NJ Turnpike there is location confusion since the creation of the inner and outer roadways, nicknamed car and truck lanes. A similar situation happened on last night’s call near Exit 8. A response was sent from Hightstown and Cranbury Fire Departments and first aid squads to a South Bound accident in the area of Exit 8 “truck lanes” and the accident was actually in the North Bound inner roadway in the “car lanes” on the exit ramp. The confusion of people calling 9-1-1 had sent apparatus to the wrong location and delays responses since apparatus has to travel miles to make U-turns. It appears that the nick names “car lanes” and “truck lanes” adds unnecessary confusion the NJSP radio uses Inner Roadways and Outer Roadways for descriptions.