Truck causes crash with car and school bus

A tractor trailer carrying fuel oil in Bridgewater Township this afternoon went through a yellow traffic light and collided with a car which was pushed into a school bus, injuring the car driver, police said. There were no children aboard the bus.

The tractor trailer, driven by Oleg Nagorny, 41, of Staten Island, was headed south on Route 202 in Somerset County shortly after 3:30 p.m. when the light at Milltown Road turned from green to yellow, Officer Richard Shimp said.

Nagorny told police he tried to stop his truck, but the brakes failed, Shimp said. Police are investigating that claim.

The truck collided with a car driven by Jeannette Faulkingham, 65, of White House, who was headed east on Milltown Road and attempting to turn left onto Route 202 north, the officer said.

The impact pushed Faulkingham's car into a van-sized school bus, also headed east on Milltown Road, driven by Barbara Long, 52, of Raritan Borough, Shimp said.

Long had dropped off the last child of her run before the accident, but it was not immediately known for which school district. She sustained minor injuries. There was also a school aide aboard the bus, which was was operated by the Kensington Bus Co. of Lebanon, Pa.

Faulkingham, the car driver, was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center with a broken clavicle. She was later released.

The truck, operated by Jersey Oil Product of South Amboy, was carrying 8,500 gallons of fuel oil, but there was no spillage, Shimp said. Traffic was interrupted for about two hours.Source