2 Injured In Serious Commercial Garbage Truck Crash In Bristol: PD

BRISTOL, CT — Two people were seriously hurt Friday when a commercial garbage truck went off the road, landed by the Pequabuck River and caught fire, police said.

Lt. Patrick Krajewski said the accident happened shortly before noon Friday, and responders as of 2 p.m. were still on scene.

Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu posted on Facebook that the truck lost brakes on Willis Street and ended up in the river.

Motorists can expect delays and should avoid the area, police cautioned.

Police said the truck was northbound on Willis Street, then continued through the parking lot of the Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School. It then went over Memorial Boulevard and finally came to rest in the Pequabuck River.

Krajewski said the vehicle was “reportedly on fire” with the two occupants inside.

Both occupants were able to get out of the truck themselves, but they sustained “serious” injuries in the crash, according to police.

The fire department set up a rope system to remove the two victims from the river, bringing them approximately 15 feet up and over a wall to the shore, police said.

Bristol emergency medical personnel took both victims to an area hospital. As of Friday afternoon, their conditions were unknown, police said.

The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection is on scene Friday afternoon to evaluate the condition of three natural gas tanks used to power the garbage truck.

William Flood, media spokesperson for DEEP, said its emergency response unit responded to the scene due to the garbage truck in the Pequabuck River, with a fire in the cab area.

“These trucks run on natural gas and have 3 interconnecting tanks that DEEP believes are now empty due to the fire involvement,” Flood said, at 3 p.m. Friday. “At this point, there doesn't seem to be any concern about anything leaking into the water.”

As of 2 p.m. Friday, efforts to remove the garbage truck from the river were ongoing and Memorial Boulevard was closed to traffic.