Milk Truck Overturns, Crashes Into Hempfield Twp. Home
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A tri-axle truck, which officials say was carrying 6,000 gallons of milk, overturned and slammed into a Westmoreland County home Thursday afternoon, causing significant damage.
According to emergency dispatchers, the accident happened around 4:30 p.m. at Stone Church Hill Road and Sportsman Road in Hunker, Hempfield Township.
Officials say the driver came around a turn, lost control and flipped the truck before crashing into the house.
KDKA's Ralph Iannotti Reports:
The truck came to a stop almost completely upside down, resting against home. The U.S. Department of Transportation says these vehicles can weigh up to 75,000 pounds fully loaded.
An SUV was thrown 15 feet at the impact of the crash.
Scott and Laura Trout were home, about to have supper, when they heard a truck coming down a hill outside. Their son, Matt Trout, was at work in Pittsburgh when a friend texted him about the accident. He immediately drove home.
"They were about to eat dinner and kinda heard the truck coming down the hill and they thought it sounded like an earthquake," Matt said.
His parents were shaken up, but not injured.
"Right inside the kitchen area, that's what I'm being told. They were within feet of where the truck landed," said Dan Stevens, of Westmoreland County Emergency Management.
The home was extensively damaged; and according to Matt, milk was everywhere and he wonders if the home will be livable again.
"Everything's soggy, every step you take is just milk," he said. "Everything's just soaked into it, the carpet. I don't know that they'll ever live in this house again if you ask me."
The driver of the tanker walked away from the crash with only a few cuts and bruises.
KDKA's Ross Guidotti Reports:
Firefighters drained the fuel from the truck to keep it from spilling.
State Police will go over the truck next week to check for possible mechanical problems, which may have played a role in the mishap.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is assessing the milk spill because milk is considered hazardous, especially when it enters the waterways; it has a detrimental effect on fish.
Meanwhile, it's not the first time a vehicle has plowed into the Trout home.
Matt said his parents put boulders in front of the home, after a similar incident a few years ago, hoping the rocks would offer some protection.
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