Crash With 18-Wheeler Sends Car Plummeting Down 20-Foot Embankment in Newark

A New Jersey driver had to be rescued on Tuesday after a terrifying crash with a tractor trailer sent his car flying down the side of a highway.

As reported by CBS New York, the accident took place around 4:30 p.m. on an I-78 entrance ramp in Newark. The semi truck reportedly overturned, pushing the Toyota Corolla off the road on its way down.

The driver of the Toyota, a man in his 50s, was then trapped inside his vehicle, says ABC7 New York. Newark firefighters soon arrived at the scene and removed the man from his car within an hour.

While responsive when rescued, the victim sustained serious injuries in the crash, including head trauma and multiple lacerations to his body. He was taken to nearby University Hospital to receive medical attention. According to CBS New York, the driver of the semi-truck wasn't injured in the crash.

An overhead photo of the incident, posted on Twitter by ABC7, shows the massive 18-wheeler lying on its side, right besides the steep drop of the highway's edge. Several feet away, off the embankment, the Toyota is seen in an overgrown patch of wild greenery.

The Newark Police Department's Public Safety Director Brian O'Hara later released a statement on the incident. "I commend the Newark Firefighters for their selfless bravery and diligence in rescuing this victim," he said, according to ABC7. "Had it not been for their tireless efforts to extricate the victim, this incident could have resulted in a tragedy. Our firefighters exemplified the high level of professionalism in the finest tradition of the Newark Fire Division."

New Jersey State Police are reportedly now looking into the incident.

The news comes just days after a similar incident last week. On Thursday, a New Jersey ice cream truck driver reportedly lost control of his vehicle on a Fort Lee highway, sending him down an approximately 20-foot embankment.

ABC7 News says that three "good Samaritans" who witnessed the crash immediately ran to the scene and worked to rescue the driver: "I grabbed my knife out, I broke his windshield, got him out safely, pulled him out," recounted one of the men. "It was just us being there in the right place at the right time," explained another. "It's nothing heroic or anything we did. It's just something that should have been done."

While no other vehicles were reportedly involved in the accident, authorities are currently investigating what may have caused the crash.