HILLSBOROUGH TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Somerset County) – A 41-year-old Trenton man suffered serious injuries after the septic truck he was driving left the roadway and struck a tree in Hillsborough Township on Thursday morning, according to police.
Hillsborough Township police responded at 7:53 a.m. to the area of 567 Montgomery Road for a report of a single-vehicle crash.
Police identified the driver as Zavier Carlos Sanchez, 41, of Trenton. He was found entrapped in the vehicle with serious upper-body injuries.
The initial investigation determined Sanchez was traveling on Montgomery Road when the truck left the roadway and struck a tree, causing him to become trapped, police said.
According to the Flemington-Raritan First Aid and Rescue Squad, the impact broke the mounts securing the septic tank, causing the tank to slide forward and crush the truck’s cab. Sanchez became pinned between the rear wall of the cab, driver’s seat, dashboard and steering column.
The Flemington-Raritan First Aid and Rescue Squad was requested for mutual aid to assist with the commercial vehicle extrication. The Flagtown Fire Company, Hillsborough Fire District and RWJ EMS were also at the scene.
Crews developed a plan to free Sanchez, wrapping a 10-foot chain around both B-pillars and rigging a TU17 Griphoist in a 2-to-1 configuration that was anchored to a frame cross-member at the rear of the truck.
After securing the roof structure, crews cut both A-pillars and carefully winched the cab roof and rear wall assembly back and out of the way. The driver’s seat was then manually moved back, creating enough space to safely extricate Sanchez.
RWJ EMTs and paramedics provided care during the extrication with assistance from the New Jersey State Police flight crew.
Sanchez was flown by the New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick for treatment.
The crash remains under investigation by the Hillsborough Township Police Department Traffic Safety Bureau.
