Tractor-trailer plows into homes
A massive tractor-trailer carrying 280 gallons of diesel fuel turned a residential Staten Island street into a truck stop early Monday when the driver lost control, hit a couple of parked cars and careened into several homes, police said.
The flatbed 18-wheeler, carrying a full load of construction material, woke up the Mariners Harbor neighborhood with a deafening crash about 6:30 a.m.
“I’m still trying to figure out why the truck is in the house,” said Patricia Willis, 65, a resident of one of the damaged houses. “That’s kind of a rough way to wake up in the morning, to hear that loud boom.”
The truck hit the cars and jumped the curb along South Ave., leveled a portion of an iron fence and rumbled through a front yard before plowing into three homes, according to witnesses and officials.
Occupants of the struck houses plus a fourth neighboring home were forced to evacuate as the crash was investigated.
Despite what looked like the aftermath of a box-office chase scene, only one person suffered minor injuries, an FDNY spokesman said. The driver was taken to Richmond University Medical Center in stable condition, authorities said.
Willis said she called 911 after the jolt and her husband rushed downstairs to help the driver. The crash dented a wall, crushed a window and mangled their front door. But they’re alive.
Authorities wouldn’t let them back in the house. “There’s a truck in the house, what the heck?” she said, laughing. “I know it’s Monday, but geez. I thought I’ve had worse Mondays but apparently not. This is different. Something to tell the grandkids.”
The truck was owned by OEG Transporting Inc. of Matawan, NJ. A company representative did not reply to a request for comment.
The crash drew emergency crews from a host of agencies including the city Buildings Department, the Office of Emergency Management, the FDNY and Con Ed, which cut all power to the street.
“It went down the embankment there and struck three houses,” said FDNY Chief Phil Solimeo.
“Not quite sure how the accident happened.”
Among the immediate concerns was the diesel fuel on the truck. Solimeo said hazmat crews were on the scene to offload the gasoline.