Credit: Falls Township police
A driver has been charged following a June crash involving a dump truck, a trash truck, and a tractor-trailer.
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Harry Pittman Accardi Sr., 56, of Bensalem Township, was charged recently with aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle, three counts of DUI, two counts of careless driving, a stop sign violation, max gross weight, and several counts of operate/permited to operate vehicle with unsafe equipment. He was preliminarily arraigned by District Judge Jan Vislosky and released on $75,000 unsecured bail.
According to court papers filed by Falls Township police, the three-vehicle crash involving the trucks with injuries happened at 7:57 a.m. on Wednesday, June 22.
Officers arrived to find a Mack dump truck, a Kenworth tractor-trailer, and a Peterbilt trash truck in a wreck at the intersection of Bordentown Road at New Ford Mill Road.
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Police said at the time that the dump truck was traveling along New Ford Mill Road toward the intersection with Bordentown Road when its driver ran a stop sign without stopping, hitting a tractor-trailer. The tractor-trailer slid into the oncoming lane of traffic and hit the trash truck, causing serious damage.
In charging documents, three witnesses stated the driver of the dump truck, who was Accardi, did not stop and struck the tractor-trailer.
The driver of the trash truck was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in New Jersey with serious injuries, police said.
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The trash truck driver suffered several serious bone fractures, a hemorrhage around his brain, and liver laceration, police said.
Accardi stated at the crash scene he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, police said.
Accardi agreed to submit blood for testing, police said.
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In court papers, police said Accardi was found to have buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine in his system.
The first drug is an opioid used to treat pain or addiction to narcotic pain medication and the second is often used to treat opioid use disorder and severe pain.
The dump truck Accardi was driving was towed from the scene and inspected by Falls Township police.
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The truck, according to police, featured problems, including more than 20 percent of the brakes being defective.
Accardi was prohibited from driving a commercial vehicle under the criteria set by the National Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, police said.
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