The cause of the accident is under investigation.
A tractor-trailer driver has died following a crash early Friday afternoon on Interstate 78 in Warren County, just a few miles into New Jersey.
The truck went off the eastbound highway and into the center guide rail about 1:20 p.m. in Pohatcong Township, between the Pennsylvania line and Exit 3 for Route 22, according to New Jersey State Police. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The driver, a man from Mt. Vernon, N.Y., was seriously injured and pronounced dead on arrival at St. Luke's Hospital in Phillipsburg, state police said. His identity will be released after family is notified.
The accident closed two of the three eastbound lanes for much of the afternoon, leading to delays up to 45 minutes and backing up traffic across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. As of 4:45 p.m., the New Jersey Department of Transportation reported traffic at normal levels.
At the time of the crash, westbound traffic farther east in Hunterdon County was still backed up from a separate crash about 10 a.m. just west of Exit 11. In that crash, a tractor-trailer slid off the highway, and authorities were cleaning up a fuel leak.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.