UPDATED 7:15 PM EDT Aug 03, 2015
NEW BRIGHTON, PA
A runaway garbage truck with no one behind the wheel smashed into at least five cars in Beaver County Friday, and one family says they’re being stuck with thousands of dollars in bills.
A runaway Waste Management truck was caught on surveillance camera barreling down a New Brighton street into two parked cars as workers chase after the empty vehicle.
The wild crash was caught on video by surveillance cameras on Lisa Ferguson’s house on 10th Street in New Brighton. The truck is owned by Waste Management of Pennsylvania, and is based out of Ambridge.
“Waste Management’s truck came plowing down the hill, got stuck to my mother’s car and pushed it down to 3rd Avenue,” Ferguson told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4. “Be more responsible. There could have been lives lost.”
New Brighton Police said the driver of the garbage truck stepped out to talk to a supervisor ten feet while it was idling on 10th Street. For some reason, the brakes “disengaged” and the truck rolled out of control down the hill.
“I was shocked. There was nobody watching the truck,” said Josh Ridenour, who lives nearby and watched the crash.
The video from Ferguson’s house shows two Waste Management workers chase after the truck as it rolled away. The impact wrecked cars belonging to Ferguson’s mother and son, but she said no one from Waste Management will call her back.
“We have not even heard from them. Not at all,” Ferguson said.
She said her son and mother were also told that they would have to use their own insurance policies to cover the damage.
“They have to take care of it themselves, with the deductibles and the high cost of rental cars,” Ferguson said.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 went to Waste Management’s office in Ambridge to get answers on Monday. A spokeswoman would not speak on camera about the crash, but did release a statement:
Safety is a top priority for Waste Management. We are investigating the cause of the accident, and are thankful everyone involved is unharmed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank the first responders for their assistance.
The spokeswoman would not explain whether the workers involved have been suspended or disciplined in any way. She also wouldn’t say whether the company would pay for the damage to the five cars.