Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with new information several times.
UPDATE: Lower Saucon Township police posted shortly after 1:30 p.m. that the road had reopened.
A serious accident in front of the Leithsville fire station in Lower Saucon Township Tuesday morning closed part of Rt. 412 (Leithsville Road) for what township police posted on Facebook “may be an extended (period of time).”
A garbage truck struck a utility pole and rolled over in front of the Leithsville fire station in Lower Saucon Township Tuesday morning, closing a busy section of Rt. 412.
An eyewitness at the scene said the crash involved a garbage truck and a utility pole, and photos posted on Facebook confirmed that.
Several photos posted via social media depict the truck rolled over on its side and partially resting on a pickup truck directly in front of the fire station.
Stephanie Cereghino posted on the Saucon Source Facebook page that the truck is owned by her brother, who she said acted quickly after the accident happened.
“Thanks should go out to Nathaniel Griffin, who pulled the driver and passenger of the garbage truck out, extinguished the truck as well as having his work truck totaled, saving the fire station again,” she commented.
A pickup truck owned by Nathaniel Griffin was damaged in the accident involving a garbage truck in front of the Leithsville fire station in Lower Saucon Township.
In May 2012, a runaway dump truck that lost its brakes on Flint Hill Road destroyed the Leithsville fire station and killed a man who was driving in front of it when the truck traveled across Rt. 412, just before it struck the building.
The new fire station was dedicated by Se-Wy-Co Fire Company in May of this year.
As of 10 a.m. Tuesday Route 412 remained closed between Apples Church Road and Flint Hill Road.
Motorists should avoid the area and seek alternate routes.
A Facebook photo shows a garbage truck on its side in front of the Leithsville fire station on Rt. 412 in Lower Saucon Township on Dec. 2, 2014.
It was not immediately clear if there were any injuries as a result of the accident, although one witness reported seeing the driver of the garbage truck standing by the roadside near the accident scene.
Several Saucon Source readers commented on Facebook about the frequency of accidents in the area where Tuesday’s crash occurred, and the apparent vulnerability of the fire station.
“Maybe they should stop letting big trucks come down Flint Hill,” commented Vanessa Keck.
And Mary Mozloom Davis wrote that “there need to be some rumble strips coming down that hill or something.”
Lower Saucon Township police cars block off a section of Route 412 near the scene of an accident Tuesday morning. Photo credit: Stephanie Bartek
“I can’t believe that LFD didn’t change the orientation of the building for the rebuild,” wrote Les Beyer in reference to the location of the new fire station. “I see a traffic light at 412 and Flint Hill Road in the near future,” he added.
What do you think? Should modifications be made to Flint Hill Road in Lower Saucon Township to improve safety? Should there be a traffic light at Flint Hill Road and Route 412? Tell us in the comments section.
A garbage truck rests on the back of a pickup truck following an accident in front of the Leithsville fire station in Lower Saucon Township Tuesday morning. Photo credit: Stephanie Cereghino
A traffic light will do nothing but slow the cars on 412 it will not prevent people from #1 driving too fast and #2 having heavy loads. Those who don’t know the area I think they don’t expect the road to end where it does reason being the stops at the end of Flint hill there are always clips that happen someone being out too far etc. I have lived 2 houses from the fire company here in Leithsville for almost 11 years.
Tractor trailers/heavy loads need to banned from even taking Richlandtown Pike/Flint Hill Road. The road was not meant for any of them! Stick to highways like you’re supposed to!
Yea that makes sense let’s ban a trash truck from a road with houses that have trash
Trash trucks and trucks with local deliveries would still be using the road, but I still think that banning all other large trucks would be a step in the right direction. A runaway truck ramp would be a nice addition, as well… just in case. Signs saying “Use Reduced Gear” might be helpful… if the truck drivers are a bit thick. Even I, with my small car, change down to third on that hill. They should be in the first place. Judging by the fact that the latest truck to crash was able to begin to make the turn, he was smart enough to engine brake on the way down. It seems that he was probably a very skilled driver dealing with lousy circumstances. 🙂
As for a traffic light… no. Just no. A traffic light would mean a line of cars waiting at the intersection at the bottom of the hill. The next time a truck were to lose control, many people would end up being in the truck’s path.