No injuries, but a broken window and door, and some minor store frontage damage are the main ‘apparent’ issues
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – At approximately 6:05 p.m. Thursday April 10 the Chester Fire Department was called to the 1200 block of Swanwick Street for a non-emergency situation of a trailer truck that had tipped over.
The location was in front of the TIENDITA Mexican Grocery Store across from Tino’s Taco Restaurant.
Within minutes the entire block of Swanwick Street was closed and remained closed until approximately 11:30 p.m. when City Employees finally left the scene.
According to authorities and Gilster Mary-Lee personnel, the truck in question had arrived at the Gilster Mary-Lee dock to deliver a fully loaded trailer with flour. The company making the delivery was not a Gilster Mary-Lee truck, but a contracted company that occasionally brings bulk flour to the Gilster Mary-Lee Chester plant.
Upon arrival, the driver was informed that an empty trailer that was already in the loading/unloading dock would have to be removed so that he could unload his trailer in that spot. The driver therefore drove his trailer to the location, put down the support legs on his trailer, removed the loaded trailer from his cab, and proceeded to the dock to make room for his load.
Within a short time of putting down the legs on his trailer, the extreme weight of the load of the full trailer began to dig into the blacktop or asphalt road beneath the legs. It didn’t take long before the trailer began to slowly tilt to the right toward the sidewalk and against the TLENDITA Grocery Store.
Eye witnesses from the beauty shop across the street actually watched as the trailer “gradually” tilted, and eventually rolled to its side. According to the women who witnessed the mishap, “It looked like it was in slow-motion as it tilted over”.
Apparently, as the legs of the trailer dug deeper-and-deeper into the asphalt, the trailer rolled farther-and-farther onto its side, and eventually rested against the front of the buildings to its right. The trailer totally blocked the sidewalk and forced the closing of Swanwick Street until first responders and emergency personnel could remove the trailer later that night.
It was apparent from the arrival of emergency personnel that there were no injuries, therefore the scene was deemed to be a non-emergency situation. The primary problem was, “How to remove a fully-loaded trailer truck from the scene”.
A trio of two heavy-duty wreckers and a low-boy trailer were located to come to the scene and remove the trailer from the scene of the mishap. According to a key Chester Fire Department personnel, the closest heavy duty equipment company locations was approximately 45-minutes-to-an-hour away, delaying the removal.
Wet weather and a cold front with slight breeze didn’t make the situation any better, not to mention the fact that many of the emergency services personnel had not had supper. Hungry men battled empty stomachs throughout the night.
Once the heavy duty trucks arrived, it took hours to figure out exactly how they were going to get the toppled trailer fully loaded with bulk flour safely away from the buildings and onto the flatbed truck for removal.
A City Street Department employee noted that by 11:30 P.M. they had the scene secured and cleared. The last City of Chester employees left at that time.
On Friday morning April 11 City employees returned to the scene to tape off the area and place emergency plastic orange cones around the area for the safety of Chester citizens. Traffic had returned to normal and many Swanwick Street travelers were slowing down to a crawl to witness the damage.
Emergency services personnel agreed that it was very fortunate that there were no injuries and especially thankful that no one was walking by that area as the trailer rolled to its side. The driver of the truck was more embarrassed than harmed and felt extremely sorry that the mishap occurred.
A man wearing a bright yellow emergency vest (who worked with the wrecker company) said, “The driver is a rookie and is really sorry for the mishap. Had he realized that the road was blacktop and not concrete, he would have likely not set the trailer where he did! I feel sorry for him!”
Friday April 11 in daylight the aftermath of the mishap could be seen. First of all, the trailer was no longer on the scene and the area where it was lying was cleared. City of Chester Street Department employees had positioned safety cones and emergency yellow police tape around the area where the blacktop had been damaged by the trailers.
Damage “appeared” to have been limited to a broken window and damaged door frame on the TIENDITA Mexican Grocery Store.
On the next building (where the Thrivent business used to be) there was some siding damage. According to a Chester Street employee, both of those locations had minor damage.
The owner of the third business in the area involved, the Fashion Flair Beauty Shop said, “I had just left my business very shortly before the mishap. I am lucky that I was not still in my shop. We do have a scratch in the far left side of my front window, but fortunately it was not broken. We are very fortunate.”
Authorities said that upon further inspection, more damage may be found, but at a glance, damage was apparently limited to the above-mentioned issues.
It is fortunate that there were no customers still in the area and that no one was injured. First Responders did a great job of dealing with the scene and emergency services personnel and City of Chester employees did a great job of securing the area of the mishap.
This truck bed rolled over and rested right up against the TIENDITA Mexican Food Store in Chester Thursday April 10 at approximately 6 P.M. According to authorities the truck driver hauling the trailer was traveling East on Swanwick Street in Chester when he purposely pulled over to the right side of the road and unhooked the loaded trailer in order to return to Gilster Mary-Lee to get another trailer that was loaded. He apparently thought that he had hooked up to an unloaded trailer according to a Chester Street Department employee. When the driver unhooked the trailer and let the support legs down, the weight of the loaded trailer sank into the blacktop roadway and tipped over. Fortunately, no one was walking on the sidewalk where the trailer rested right up against the front door of TIENDITA. Jim Beers Photo
This is the scene as one viewed the accident scene from the Eastern approach Thursday April 10. The entire city block was blocked by emergency equipment at both ends of Swanwick Street. Jim Beers Photo
Workers inspect the fallen trailer and prepare to hook up cables to the wreckage in attempts to get the trailer up-right again. At his point the scene had closed Swanwick Street for 3 and a half hours (:15 P.M.). Jim Beers Photo
To the left is the white Cab (Tractor) that was pulling the fallen trailer heading East on Swanwick Street in Chester. The accident blocked the street for hours Thursday April 10 beginning at approximately 6:00 P.M. Jim Beers Photo
As motorists approached Swanwick Street in Chester from the East, Thursday April 10 at approximately 6:00 p.m., they were met with Police Cars, Emergency Vehicles, and the vehicles of first responders that were working to upright a trailer that had tipped over as a Trailer Truck was hauling it West on Swanwick Street approaching the Rt. 3 intersection. The mishap took place in front of the TIENDITA Mexican Food Store. Jim Beers Photo
This is the view of Swanwick Street in Chester as travelers approached from the West. Wreckers and emergency service vehicles blocked the roadway in efforts to upright the fallen trailer hat had tipped over in front of the TIENDITA Mexican Food Store at approximately 6:00 P.M. Thankfully there were no injuries, and first responders quickly secured the scene as they awaited wreckers to arrive. Jim Beers Photo
This is a daylight photo just minutes after the trailer tipped over Thursday April 10 on Swanwick Street in Chester. Emergency personnel had not yet arrived on scene as Gwendy Garner of Chester drove by and saw the trailer on its side, and up against the businesses on Swanwick Street. Gwendy Garner Photo
This is a photo of the damaged roadway in front of the truck mishap scene Thursday April 11 on Swanwick Street in Chester. This is where the mishap began as the loaded trailer dug into the roadway and began to slowly tilt onto the sidewalk and up against the involved buildings. Jim Beers Photo
To the lower right can be seen broken glass from the window of the TIENDITA Mexican Grocery Store. Jim Beers Photo
The TIENDITA Mexican Grocery Store appeared to have received the most damage as the truck broke the front-right window upon impact. Jim Beers Photo
The location of the former Thrivent Business on Swanwick Street received some siding damage as a result of the truck accident Thursday April 10. Jim Beers Photo
The third building near the truck accident was the Fashion Flaire Beauty Shop which just received a slight scratch on the far-left side of its window. The shop was not otherwise damaged. Jim Beers Photo
The sidewalk is closed in front of the area on Swanwick Street in Chester where the trailer tilted and rolled to its side Thursday April 10. The trailer landed against the TIENDITA Mexican Grocery Store and the former Thrivent Office building. Jim Beers Photo