Bridgewater Man Ejected From Truck, Dies in I-78 Accident

A 61-year-old Bridgewater truck driver was killed Friday afternoon after he was thrown from his Mack dump truck when the vehicle went off the roadway on Interstate 78 in Warren.

Barry Leiner, 61, died in the accident that occurred at about 1:35 p.m.

According to the state police, the truck Leiner was driving left the roadway and hit a 2009 Audi TT driven by Maureen Brown, 67, of Warren, who had lost control of the vehicle and also gone off the road.

The vehicles went down an embankment, hitting the center berm, and then hitting trees, state police said.

Leiner was thrown from the truck after it hit a tree and became airborn, then hit the ground, state police said. He was taken by NorthSTAR helicopter to Morristown Medical Center and later pronounced dead.

Brown reportedly suffered minor injuries after the vehicle she was driving came to a stop in the grass on westbound lane shoulder, state police said. She was taken to Overlook Hospital for treatment for injuries to her arm.

The accident occurred a mile marker 38.4, about a quarter-mile west of Saw Mill Road.