Local

Video shows garbage truck rolling down hill before crashing into vehicles, home

STOWE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A garbage truck’s parking brake gave way on a hill in Stowe Township, sending it barreling down 13th Street, taking out three parked cars and slamming into the porches of two homes as the driver looked on in disbelief.

The 6:00 a.m. crash was an abrupt wakeup call for Kim Solerto and her daughter, who were still asleep Wednesday morning.

“We heard a crash — it sounded like an explosion — and I opened my front door and all I could see was a garbage truck,” said Solerto.

The truck tore up Solerto’s front yard and front steps.

Her next-door neighbor’s home suffered even more damage and will need some structural repair.

It was their cars parked in front of their homes, however, that took the brunt of the impact.

“All three cars were totaled, probably, that’s what I’m hearing anyways, so we’re just waiting to see,” said Solerto.

Despite the damage, Solerto is just grateful no one was hurt.

“This can all be replaced, so it’s OK. It’s going to be OK,” she said, calling the incident a freak accident.

“The emergency brake was on but they don’t know if it slipped out, or if something else failed. The driver said the truck got away from him. He was very polite. The first thing he said was he wanted to make sure everyone was OK.”

The exact cause of the crash is under investigation.