A natural gas powered garbage truck rolls over in Webster Township

The Dexter Area Fire Department responds to a rolled over garbage truck that was powered by compressed natural gas.

The Sun Times News reached out to DAFD Fire Chief Doug Armstrong after seeing the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office traffic incident alert sent out at 8:41 a.m. on Jan. 3. The alert said avoid the area of Mast Road near N. Territorial Road in Webster Township, which was closed due to a traffic incident.

Armstrong told STN that a Waste Management (WM) refuse truck was traveling west on N. Territorial when the green light at Mast Road cycled.

“The truck rolled over at the intersection and landed on its roof adjacent to a utility pole at the corner of the intersection,” Armstrong said. “The truck was powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) and had been recently refueled.”

WM officials worked with DAFD personnel before deciding to empty the fuel tanks prior to uprighting the vehicle. DTE officials and County Road Commission staff were notified and confirmed that the pole was not damaged, Armstrong said.

The intersection was closed after the accident until the truck was safely removed. The driver refused transport to the hospital.