An Orange County man is lucky to be alive after his tractor-trailer crashed in New Jersey Tuesday.
State troopers and firefighters rescued Lawrence Scherf, of Vails Gate, who fell into a creek after his tractor-trailer crashed through a guardrail and caught fire along the New Jersey Turnpike.
The crash happened just before 6 a.m. in the northbound lanes where the turnpike meets Interstate 80 in Ridgefield. The man went into the waters of the Overpeck Creek.
Aerial video showed state troopers and firefighters lifting Scherf in a rescue basket from the water and onto the roadway. Scherf was taken away in a medevac helicopter.
Scherf suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized in critical condition.
State police say the three officers who jumped into the water also went to the hospital for an evaluation.