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Trucker: Car Cut Off To Blame For Cross Bronx Expressway Crash

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A trucker says that a four wheeler cut him off and clipped his truck yesterday, causing him to lose control and sending his truck dangling off of the Cross Bronx Expressway in New York City.

Trucker Says Four Wheeler Cut Him Off, Causing Crash

The crash happened around noon when 18 year veteran truck driver Pablo Lopez was traveling from Connecticut to New Jersey after dropping off a load of tomatoes. Lopez said he was driving in the middle lane when a black sedan cut him off and struck the cab of his truck. He said, “I was in the middle of the highway heading towards the bridge and all of a sudden, a black car’s wheel got very close to my front wheel. The car got caught in my front wheel. I had no other option than to try to stop by the bridge and then truck was halfway off the bridge, hanging over and the other part was on the bridge.

Lopez said he did everything he could to make sure the crash wasn’t much worse. “I saw the cars behind me and I didn’t want to crush them,” he said.

Driver Escapes From Cross Bronx Expressway Crash To Roadway Below

After the crash, Lopez was able to hang on to the steering wheel and eventually lower himself down to the Sheridan Expressway, landing on his feet as diesel rained down on him.

The New York Fire Department says that Lopez was lucky his truck was empty, because the weight of a loaded trailer could have pulled the truck down off the bridge entirely.

Lopez needed 7 metal staples to close a cut on his head, but was otherwise okay. Two other people were hurt in the crash, but their injuries were minor.

The crash caused huge traffic backups. The eastbound lanes were closed for about 5 hours while the westbound lanes were closed for about 6 hours.

Police are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Sources:

KRON 4
NBC New York
The Washington Post
WCVB

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