Loose tire sends car veering off highway, injuring driver

A driver lost control of a car on Route 287 in Oakland on Thursday morning when it was struck by a loose tire that bounced over the center divider, sending the car veering across the highway and into a row of trees, state police said.

The driver suffered severe injuries and was lifted by helicopter and taken to a hospital, police said. A passenger in the car suffered minor injuries.

Authorities do not know where the tire came from, only saying it had dislodged from an unknown vehicle traveling in the northbound lanes.

State police took to Facebook later that day to ask for the public's assistance in identifying the vehicle that lost the tire.

Witnesses are encouraged to call the state police station in Totowa at (973) 785-9419 and can offer tips anonymously.

The helicopter landed on Route 287 in Oakland Thursday morning to take a patient to a hospital following a car crash.

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Traffic was backed up nearly an hour, and authorities continued to investigate the crash into the afternoon.

Firefighters from Oakland and Franklin Lakes responded.

Check back for more on this developing story.