A tractor-semitrailer was traveling south in the extreme right-hand lane of the New Jersey Turnpike at about 55 mph. A Greyhound bus and a private auto were traveling north on the Turnpike. The driver of the southbound truck stated that without any prior warning he heard a loud noise which sounded like a gunshot, the tractor immediately veered to the left and struck and crashed through the median guardrail into the northbound lanes. The truck struck the automobile and crushed it between the truck and bus. The truck ran off the northbound lanes and down a 50-foot embankment. The truckdriver was ejected. He was not wearing the available seatbelt. The automobile driver and his passenger, the busdriver, and six bus passengers, died in the crash. The truckdriver and 10 bus passengers were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the sudden deflation of the left front tire on the tractor which caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Abstract