Deadly collision at Newark Airport

NEWARK (WABC) -- A hotel shuttle bus driver was killed and his passengers hurt when his jitney collided with a contracted bus on a Newark Airport service road.

The shuttle, operated by Marriott, collided with the bus on Earhart Road just after 2 a.m. Wednesday.

The driver of the airport shuttle was killed and the passengers, three flight crew members, were hurt.

The most seriously injured, a woman, was ejected from the van. She was rushed to University Hospital in Newark in serious but stable condition.

The bus that crashed was a First Transit bus contracted by FedEx to carry employees.

It was used to transport Fed Ex employees at the airport. However, there were no Fed Ex employees on board and the driver was a First Transit employee. That driver was not hurt.

The shuttle passengers told police the bus was in the wrong lane when it collided head-on with their jitney. They said the shuttle driver attempted to avoid the crash, but could not swerve in time.

The force of the collision sent the bus careening into a nearby ravine.

The driver who was killed worked for Marriott for the past five years.

The shuttle is used to transport guests from two nearby hotels -- the Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn Newark Elizabeth/Liberty International Airport -- to the airport. The shuttle was returning from the airport to the hotels at the time of the collision.

Port Authority Police closed Earhart Drive, an airport access road, for hours as they investigated the crash. The closure was not expected to impact flights.

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