‘It sounded like a train car derailed’ when a truck hit parked truck on Main Street early Monday

In the span of just over 25 hours, a driver on Route 2 hit another vehicle head on early Sunday morning. Then, early Monday morning, a pickup truck heading north on Main Street rammed into a parked pickup truck, rolled onto its side and skidded past EG Fire Station 1 and sending the empty truck into Lion Street. 

The collision on Route 2 took place at 12:15 a.m. Oct. 15, when a vehicle drifted into the oncoming traffic, crashing into another vehicle near the intersection at Dave’s Market and CVS. The driver of the first vehicle and both occupants of the second vehicle were all taken to area hospitals. 

Meanwhile, early Monday morning, EGFD Capt. Tom Mears was inside Station 1 when he heard a loud boom sound, followed by a high metal sound and another boom.

“I’ve heard a lot of car accidents in my time,” Mears said. “What I heard the other night, I thought a train car derailed.”

Right there in front of the station, “It looked like a bomb went off,” he said. “There was debris everywhere.”

When firefighters got to the truck on its side, the driver was conscious but as they started to free him, he lost consciousness, according to Mears. They used jaws-of-life tools from both Station 1 and Station 2, and were able to fold the roof over like a flap and slide the driver out. He was taken by rescue to the hospital. 

Mears was able to figure out why the accident sounded unusual – the truck, after hitting the parked truck, rolled over on its side and skidded around 30 feet before coming to rest just north of Station 1. 

Mears said he was glad it hadn’t happened on a warm Friday or Saturday, since there are usually a number of people on Main Street into the early morning hours on those nights. 

One of the two cars involved in a head-on collision on Route 2 early Sunday morning, Oct. 15. Photo courtesy of EGFD

The two cars from the collision on a tow truck after the occupants had been taken by rescue to local hospitals. Photo courtesy of EGFD

Debris covered Main Street right in front of Station 1 early Monday morning, Oct. 16. The white truck in the background had been parked on Main Street and was thrust forward when the other truck slammed into it. Photo courtesy of EGFD