NORTH BERGEN AND BEYOND – A township man was one of the drivers involved in a three-vehicle crash and resulting explosion on Saturday, Dec. 6 that left one man dead, one hospitalized in critical condition, and one treated and released, an online report said.
The crash took place about 1 p.m. on Route 78 in Union Township, Union County, just past the Garden State Parkway entrance to the roadway in the western direction.
James Pinaire, 24, of Chatham was killed after the Audi he was driving while entering Route 78 from the GSP collided with a fuel tanker driven by Balwinder Singh, 35, of Valley Stream, N.Y., according to nj.com. Singh was listed in critical condition. He had climbed through the windshield of the burning vehicle to escape it.
After colliding, the two vehicles had crashed into a tractor-trailer hauling mulch being driven by Mario Quiroz, 53, of North Bergen, according to the report. Quiroz was treated at an area hospital and released.
Pinaire died at the scene, according to an eyewitness who said he pulled Pinaire out of his car and attempted to save his life.
The accident, fire extinguishing, and foam cleanup closed Route 78 west for three and a half hours. The roadway’s eastern lanes had also been closed for part of that time. –Joseph Passantino