Two Hurt When Milk Truck Topples on Schooley's Mountain Road

Two men were taken to the hospital Saturday morning when the single-axle truck they were driving flipped on to its side on Schooley’s Mountain Road, taking down two utility poles and closing the road for hours, police said. 

Sgt. Brian Szymanski, Officer John Lee, and Officer Daniel Parrish responded to the intersection of Schooley’s Mountain Road and Camp Washington Road just before 8 a.m. and found the truck, carrying milk, lying on the driver’s side in the roadway, Lt. Doug Compton said.

Driver Jacob Lazu  28, of Prospect Park, was still inside the vehicle when patrol arrived and needed to be extricated from the truck, Compton said. His passenger, 43-year-old Robert Umstead of Cherry Hill, was outside the vehicle after climbing through the broken windshield to safety, Compton said.

Lazu was traveling south on the county roadway when, for unknown reasons, Compton said, crossed into the northbound lane until hitting the guide rail. The vehicle, owned by V. Puzino Dairy of Totoway, took down utility poles in the process.

Lazu was taken by the Long Valley First Aid Squad to Morristown Medical Center to be treated for neck and shoulder injuries. Umstead was airlifted to the same hospital for internal injuries and broken ribs.

Schooley’s Mountain Road was closed for most of Saturday during the crash investigation and for the installation of new utility poles.

The crash remains under investigation and the vehicle was impounded, Compton said.

The Morris County Sheriff’s Department, Long Valley Fire Company and Schooley’s Mountain Fire Company all assisted at the scene.

For questions about this post, email jason.koestenblatt@patch.com.