Runaway Sanitation truck plows into parked cars on E. Ninth Street

BY SARAH FERGUSON | An out-of-control Sanitation truck smashed into two parked cars on E. Ninth Street early Monday, pushing both vehicles up onto the sidewalk and likely totaling one of the cars.

According to a super on the block who turned over security camera footage of the incident, the driver of the Sanitation truck first pulled up in front of 725 E. Ninth St. around 6:30 a.m. and then may have jumped out of the cab to help his partner, who was already loading bags into the back of the truck.

“He threw two bags and then, all of a sudden, the truck started moving forward with no one driving it,” said Mike the super, who declined to give his last name.

The truck smashed into a white Mitsubishi, scraping off the side mirror and slicing open its rear door, then hit a black Jeep Grand Cherokee, pushing both vehicles onto the sidewalk. Luckily both cars were empty and no pedestrians were hurt.

The truck continued up the block about 100 feet before coming to a rest in front of 713 E. Ninth St.

The driver, who reportedly claimed to have fallen out of the cab, was taken by ambulance to Beth Israel Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and released. A breathalyzer test given at the hospital was negative.

Department of Sanitation officials said they could not yet comment on what caused the truck to go astray.

Mike the super said a Sanitation inspector who arrived on the scene speculated that the driver may have forgotten to step on the emergency brake before leaving the cab. The block was closed for several hours as city officials investigated the incident.

Joshua Goodman, a spokesperson for the Sanitation department, said, “The collision remains under investigation. But given the extreme importance we place on the safety of both Sanitation workers and the public, we are very happy that no one was seriously hurt.”

Goodman said the owners of both vehicles would be fully compensated by the city.