Driver in Fiery Crash on Route 78: ‘God Gave Me Another Chance’

A truck driver involved in a terrible crash on route 78 in Union, New Jersey over the weekend believes that God gave him another chance at life.

The accident happened shortly after 1 p.m. on Saturday near Exit 52 for the Garden State Parkway.

As reported at nj.com, the crash left one person dead and another in critical condition.

James Pinaire, 24, was driving an Audi A4 onto Route 78 westbound in Union when he traveled into the path of a fuel tanker, police said. The car and tanker then hit the mulch truck 53-year-old Mario Quiroz was driving.

According to cbslocal.com, Pinaire was killed. The driver of the fuel tanker climbed through the windshield of his burning truck to escape and is reportedly in critical condition.

The mulch truck driver, Mario Quiroz, was treated and released from the hospital.

Quiroz spoke through his daughter, who was translating for him, that he thought "God gave me another chance to live."

Quiroz said he was trapped in his rig, surrounded by flames but managed to escape to safety by jumping out of his window.

“The window only opened half way and it was really hard to jump out the window,” he said.

Quiroz's daughter, Jennifer, told CBS she thought her father had "an angel over him who gave him another chance to live."

Joe DeGioia, 28, was driving to Hoboken on 78 eastbound when he saw the crash and began to take video.