steveo
Member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2006
- Messages
- 369
Hopefully none of the fuel makes it into the creek...
https://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/a-garbage-truck-knocked-over-a-rolling-pothole-patching-vehicle-closing-route10-for-9-hours
A garbage truck knocked over a rolling pothole-patching vehicle, closing Route 10 for 9 hours
At least 100 gallons of diesel fueled spilled down an embankment leading to Hay Creek on Thursday, emergency officials said.
WRITTEN BY STEVEN HENSHAW
ROBESON TOWNSHIP, PA —
A garbage truck slammed into a slow-moving pothole-patching vehicle on Route 10 in Robeson Township, flipping it over, before crashing onto the guide rail and spilling at least 100 gallons of diesel fuel down an embankment above Hay Creek, police said.
The crash happened about 9 a.m. Thursday and closed Route 10, also known as Morgantown Road, between Furnace and Miller roads until about 6 p.m. Thursday, creating traffic headaches in southeastern Berks County through the afternoon rush.
The driver of the patcher, Mark S. Hand, 44, address unavailable, was helped out of the partially crushed cab by other motorists. He was taken by ambulance to Reading Hospital for unspecified injuries. A hospital spokeswoman said he was in good condition Friday.
Robeson police provided this account:
As Hand drove the patcher owned by a PennDOT contractor, he was being trailed by a PennDOT truck carrying a flashing sign warning motorists of the slow moving vehicles and pothole repair operation.
The driver of a southbound garbage truck, Mayko A. Gonzalez-Rivera, 35, of Reading, noticed a line of stopped vehicles behind the PennDOT truck as he rounded a right, downhill curve.
He applied the brakes and swerved into the opposite lane to try to avoid rear-ending the line of vehicles, but the front, right wheel struck the left rear of a pickup truck stopped in traffic in the right lane.
The wheel of the garbage truck collapsed, causing him to lose control of the truck, which continued south in the northbound lane before slamming into the side of the patcher, which ended up on its roof.
After hitting the patcher, the truck continued in the southbound lane, shearing a utility pole and coming to rest straddling the guide rail, which split both fuel tanks.
The garbage truck driver declined emergency medical treatment. The pickup truck driver, Scott Eshelman, 66, of Mohnton, wasn't injured.
An investigation of the accident continues.
Geigertown Fire Company personnel were unable to stop the leak, Fire Chief Scott Gullo said.
They turned their efforts to keeping spilled fuel from draining into the creek. Mount Penn Fire Company brought its spill-containment trailer.
"We did what we could, but I don't know how many gallons of diesel and other fluids spilled," Gullo said. "Between our department and Mount Penn, we did everything we could to contain the fluids from going into the creek."
The contents of the capsized patcher, consisting of a half-ton of stone mixed with hot tar, were contained to the road, Gullo said.
The trash truck owner, Republic Services, brought in its own clean-up contractor. In addition, the state Department of Environmental Protection brought in an environmental contractor and placed a plastic cover over the contaminated soil to prevent rain from washing more fuel into the creek.
Work to remove the contaminated soil was expected to resume today.
"All of the leaks actually went into the dirt and that ran down into the waterway," Gullo said. "It got a pretty good head start on us, with the rate it was coming out. We were getting reports that three-quarters of a mile downstream people were smelling diesel fuel. "
DEP spokesman John Repetz said most of the fuel was contained to the soil, which will be removed by a contractor for the waste company. DEP will supervise the work, he said.
https://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/a-garbage-truck-knocked-over-a-rolling-pothole-patching-vehicle-closing-route10-for-9-hours
A garbage truck knocked over a rolling pothole-patching vehicle, closing Route 10 for 9 hours
At least 100 gallons of diesel fueled spilled down an embankment leading to Hay Creek on Thursday, emergency officials said.
WRITTEN BY STEVEN HENSHAW
ROBESON TOWNSHIP, PA —
A garbage truck slammed into a slow-moving pothole-patching vehicle on Route 10 in Robeson Township, flipping it over, before crashing onto the guide rail and spilling at least 100 gallons of diesel fuel down an embankment above Hay Creek, police said.
The crash happened about 9 a.m. Thursday and closed Route 10, also known as Morgantown Road, between Furnace and Miller roads until about 6 p.m. Thursday, creating traffic headaches in southeastern Berks County through the afternoon rush.
The driver of the patcher, Mark S. Hand, 44, address unavailable, was helped out of the partially crushed cab by other motorists. He was taken by ambulance to Reading Hospital for unspecified injuries. A hospital spokeswoman said he was in good condition Friday.
Robeson police provided this account:
As Hand drove the patcher owned by a PennDOT contractor, he was being trailed by a PennDOT truck carrying a flashing sign warning motorists of the slow moving vehicles and pothole repair operation.
The driver of a southbound garbage truck, Mayko A. Gonzalez-Rivera, 35, of Reading, noticed a line of stopped vehicles behind the PennDOT truck as he rounded a right, downhill curve.
He applied the brakes and swerved into the opposite lane to try to avoid rear-ending the line of vehicles, but the front, right wheel struck the left rear of a pickup truck stopped in traffic in the right lane.
The wheel of the garbage truck collapsed, causing him to lose control of the truck, which continued south in the northbound lane before slamming into the side of the patcher, which ended up on its roof.
After hitting the patcher, the truck continued in the southbound lane, shearing a utility pole and coming to rest straddling the guide rail, which split both fuel tanks.
The garbage truck driver declined emergency medical treatment. The pickup truck driver, Scott Eshelman, 66, of Mohnton, wasn't injured.
An investigation of the accident continues.
Geigertown Fire Company personnel were unable to stop the leak, Fire Chief Scott Gullo said.
They turned their efforts to keeping spilled fuel from draining into the creek. Mount Penn Fire Company brought its spill-containment trailer.
"We did what we could, but I don't know how many gallons of diesel and other fluids spilled," Gullo said. "Between our department and Mount Penn, we did everything we could to contain the fluids from going into the creek."
The contents of the capsized patcher, consisting of a half-ton of stone mixed with hot tar, were contained to the road, Gullo said.
The trash truck owner, Republic Services, brought in its own clean-up contractor. In addition, the state Department of Environmental Protection brought in an environmental contractor and placed a plastic cover over the contaminated soil to prevent rain from washing more fuel into the creek.
Work to remove the contaminated soil was expected to resume today.
"All of the leaks actually went into the dirt and that ran down into the waterway," Gullo said. "It got a pretty good head start on us, with the rate it was coming out. We were getting reports that three-quarters of a mile downstream people were smelling diesel fuel. "
DEP spokesman John Repetz said most of the fuel was contained to the soil, which will be removed by a contractor for the waste company. DEP will supervise the work, he said.
