A fully loaded garbage truck that suffered a blown tire Wednesday, during peak rush hour time, lost control, scraping a pickup truck causing gallons of hydraulic fluid to spill across both lanes of Rt 13 in Falls Township shutting it down for hours as a cleanup operation was employed.
At approximately 4:24 p.m. on July 15, a Falls Township police officer was conducting a commercial motor vehicle inspection on US Route 13 northbound when they witnessed a crash occurring in the southbound lanes, said Police
A preliminary investigation revealed that a fully loaded garbage truck, operated by a 27-year-old male from Sharon Hill, suffered a blowout of its driver-side steering tire while traveling in the right lane. The tire failure caused the truck to veer into the left lane, forcing a Ford F-150 pickup truck, operated by a 34-year-old man from Levittown, onto the top of the concrete median. As the pickup truck straddled and slid across the divider, the garbage truck scraped alongside it. During the impact, the garbage truck’s hydraulic fluid tank was severed, spilling fluid across both southbound lanes, Lt Chris Clark said.
Due to the spill Rt 13 remained closed for approximately five hours. Cleanup efforts were supported by Rob’s Automotive heavy-duty towing and street sweeping units, PennDOT, and employees from the trash removal company, Clark said.
Both drivers reported no injuries at the scene. A post-crash commercial motor vehicle inspection will be conducted on the garbage truck to ensure compliance with all federal and state safety regulations, said on scene investigators.
Falls Township Police encourage anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who has additional information to contact Sergeant Raymond Fanelli at r.fanelli@fallstwppd.com. Information may also be provided anonymously at (215) 949-9120 or via email at tiplines@fallstwppd.com.
Recent Comments