DEC Reports On Cleanup After Crash Between School Bus, Garbage Truck

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — A crash between a school bus and a garbage truck in Southampton sparked a cleanup response from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, officials said.

The incident happened late last month in Hampton Bays. On July 20, while on patrol in Suffolk County, DEC Environmental Conservation Officers DeVito and Della Rocco received a request for assistance with a petroleum spill from the Southampton Police Department, officials said.

When the officers arrived, they saw a garbage truck on its side with waste and other fluids leaking into the street, the DEC said.

After speaking with New York State Troopers and local responders, the ECOs learned that a school bus with no children on board had struck the garbage truck, causing it to overturn, the DEC said. The drivers of both vehicles suffered minor injuries, the DEC said.

ECOs DeVito and Della Rocco helped to secure the scene and direct traffic and contacted the DEC spill response Unit to report the event. DEC monitored the cleanup and determined there was no threat to public health or the environment.