44 injured in bus crash inside Lincoln Tunnel

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - Two NJ Transit buses hit inside the Lincoln Tunnel Monday morning injuring 44 people and forcing the closure of the center tube. That tube contains the dedicated bus lanes for the morning commute which created huge backups getting into Manhattan from New Jersey.  

Delays stretched up to two hours as all of the traffic was being funneled into the remaining inbound tube.

Port Authority Police spokesman Joe Pentangelo initially said the accident occurred around 8:50 a.m. and that at least 23 people had sustained injuries that were not considered life-threatening. That number later rose to 44. The most serious was a broken jaw.

The door on one bus had to be cut open, added Pentangelo.

A NJ Transit bus headed from Ridgefield rear-ended a bus out of Fairview, according to agency spokesperson Lisa Torbic. Both buses were removed by 10:25 a.m., but residual delays were heavy. The center tube reopened about an hour later.

Authorities ticketed the driver of one bus for an unsafe lane change.

Delays were still being reported on NJ Transit buses traveling into and out of the Port Authority Bus Terminal into the afternoon.

The Lincoln Tunnel travels under the Hudson River and connects Weehawken, New Jersey, with the west side of Manhattan.

42 million vehicles use the tunnel every year.

Bus service to/from PABTl may experience delays of up to 45 minutes due to an earlier NJ TRANSIT bus accident in the Lincoln Tunnel.

— NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) September 26, 2016

With the Associated Press