Tire Blowout Causes Garbage Truck Crash In Falls Twp.

FALLS TOWNSHIP, PA — A garbage truck spilled fluid after crashing on Tuesday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash, police said.

The Falls Township Police Department said that at 4:24 p.m. Tuesday a police officer was conducting a commercial motor vehicle inspection on Route 13 northbound when a crash occurred in the southbound lanes.

Police said 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, police said. During the impact, the garbage truck’s hydraulic fluid tank was severed, spilling fluid across both southbound lanes.

Due to safety concerns over the fluid’s slickness on the roadway, the right lane of US Route 13 southbound remained closed for about five hours.

Cleanup efforts were supported by Rob’s Automotive heavy-duty towing and street sweeping units, PennDOT, and employees from the garbage company.

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, police said.

Falls Township Police encourage anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has additional information to call Sgt. Raymond Fanelli at r.fanelli@fallstwppd.com. Information may also be provided anonymously at 215-949-9120 or via email at tiplines@fallstwppd.com.

(Falls Township Police Department)