A blown tire on a fully loaded garbage truck led to a multi-vehicle crash and a five-hour closure of a southbound lane on Route 13 Tuesday afternoon.
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No injuries were reported in the incident, police said.
The crash occurred around 4:24 p.m. when a Falls Township police officer conducting a commercial vehicle inspection on Route 13 northbound, witnessed the accident unfolding in the southbound lanes.
A preliminary investigation indicates that a garbage truck, which was driven by a 27-year-old man from Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, experienced a blowout of its driver-side steering tire while traveling in the right southbound lane, police said.
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The tire failure caused the truck to swerve into the left lane and forced a Ford F-150 pickup truck, which operated by a 34-year-old Levittown man, onto the concrete median, police said.
As the pickup truck slid along the divider, the garbage truck scraped against it, severing the garbage truck’s hydraulic fluid tank, police said.
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The crash resulted in a spill of fluid across both southbound lanes.
Due to safety concerns regarding the slickness of the fluid, the right lane of Route 13 southbound was closed for approximately five hours while cleanup crews worked.
Rob’s Automotive’s heavy-duty towing and street sweeping units, PennDOT, and employees from the garbage company assisted in the cleanup efforts, police said.
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A post-crash inspection of the garbage truck will be conducted to ensure its compliance with all federal and state safety regulations, police said.
Falls Township Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has additional information to contact Sgt. Raymond Fanelli at r.fanelli@fallstwppd.com. Anonymous tips can be provided by calling 215-949-9120 or emailing tiplines@fallstwppd.com.
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