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Trio Of Accidents Makes For Nightmare Day At Lincoln Tunnel

WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- It was certainly not the day to be in or near the Lincoln Tunnel.

A trio of accidents, injuries and commuters being evacuated by foot out of the tunnel affected and delayed the morning and evening commutes.

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Around 5 p.m., the Lincoln Tunnel experienced two hour delays on the outbound side.  The situation was compounded for commuters by major delays at the outbound Holland Tunnel.

A multi-car, chain reaction accident at the outbound Lincoln was the cause for the commuter nightmare.

Earlier, the Port Authority said five people were injured in an eight-vehicle crash that closed an outbound tube of the Lincoln Tunnel for nearly two hours.

The incident occurred around 12:30 p.m., just two hours after the tunnel had reopened following a morning crash.

Even before that, two buses collided outside the Lincoln Tunnel, injuring about 20 people and making for a nightmare commute.

A bus operated by Martz Trailways rear-ended a NJ TRANSIT bus that was carrying 45 passengers from Paramus to the Port Authority bus terminal, NJ TRANSIT spokeswoman Nancy Snyder said.

The incident happened around 7:15 a.m. on Route 495 in the express bus lane in Weehawken.

Port Authority spokesman Ron Marsico said at least two people were seriously injured.

The outbound lanes of the tunnel were closed for nearly four hours and traffic was backed up for miles, CBS 2 reported.

The accident is under investigation.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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