Refuse truck collides with control centre for local sewerage

The scene of the accident that occured just after 2pm Tuesday. Photo / Julia McCarthy-Fox

Tuesday afternoon was frantic in Te Awamutu’s Sinclair Terrace, as a multitude of local services worked together to resolve what could have become a more serious problem.

Following a call to the council requesting a late bin collection, a refuse truck was deployed back to the cul-de-sac at the end of its shift, and it was there that disaster struck.

Distracted by an insect on his face as he drove around the small roundabout at the end of the street, the driver lost control momentarily, mounted the kerb and hit the metal box housing the control centre for the local sewerage, ripping it from the ground and seriously damaging it. In the process, the fuel tank of the truck was punctured, resulting in diesel spurting out onto the residential street.

Diesel leaking onto the road of Sinclair Terrace. Photo / Julia McCarthy-Fox

Several calls were made by concerned residents and soon an ambulance arrived, swiftly followed by police and the local fire brigade.

This was a particularly impressive demonstration of the working of Te Awamutu’s Volunteer Fire Brigade, and I found it fascinating to first be standing beside the person who called for help and almost immediately hear the siren sounding across the town, alerting the crew to the emergency, then within minutes to see the flashing lights as the fire engine drove down Sinclair Terrace towards us.

With supreme efficiency, the firefighters assessed and took charge of the situation, the ambulance crew having already checked that the driver was uninjured. Diesel was by now quite widely spread over the street, and they swiftly went to work to contain it, digging soil from the roundabout and using it to cover the road and make a border around the spillage once a bucket had been placed under the leak.

Further buckets were supplied by residents while waiting for the arrival of the recovery vehicle, with the eventual row of assorted receptacles full of diesel lining the edge of the road including a nappy bucket and one used for gardening. A wheelbarrow and access to soil were also made available, alleviating the need for further digging of the verge.

Damage caused to the metal box housing the control centre for the local sewerage. Photo / Julia McCarthy-Fox

A temporary generator was later delivered to ensure that there was no loss of sewerage services, and the damaged truck was towed away for repair after the remainder of the diesel had been drained from the tank, leaving the soil and sand in the road the only sign that anything untoward had occurred, and long before dark this had also been cleared.