A sewer vacuum truck slid and rolled over just beyond the island garden at the intersection of Page Road and Old Billerica Road early Thursday afternoon. Traffic in the area was knocked down to one lane while Bedford police, fire, DPW, and officials from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection did their work at the scene.
The truck involved in the single-vehicle accident is owned by Action King Services of Lowell. Contents of the vehicle, believed to be food waste from an area restaurant, leaked from the large tank, flowed down the side of Old Billerica Road and continued going downhill onto Page Road, heading right by the Shawsheen River.
Greg Murray of Mass DEP said some of the waste may have gone into the river. He also said he believed that the greasy waste would not create a major environmental problem in the river and would be cleaned up. As of Thursday night, the DEP was still at the scene.
The cause of the accident is under investigation by Bedford Police.
The accident could have been a lot worse. The driver of the truck and a passenger were both taken to Lahey Clinic; the injuries are believed to be minor.
The truck crashed through a guard rail, knocked down a residential mailbox, and stopped with its rear bumper touching a utility pole, which appeared to be undamaged.
The truck itself suffered damage, including numerous dents on the front, rear, sides, and roof, a badly cracked windshield, and broken mirrors. The large storage tank also detached.
Many workers from Mal’s Service Center spent a few hours carefully trying to get the tank back up on the truck before towing it away.
Workers from the Bedford Department of Public Works cleaned up the stenchy waste from the truck and sanded the affected roads.
