Cleanup crews faced a major mess in the middle of the night after an estimated 60,000 pounds of garbage spilled onto a Hall County roadway.
The truck overturned on Thursday, October 1, temporarily closing the road while crews worked to remove the garbage contents and clear the roadway, according to local authorities.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office estimated that approximately 60,000 pounds of garbage spilled from the truck following the crash.
To combat the large cleanups, a portion of Candler Road was temporarily closed while emergency and cleanup crews responded to the scene. Authorities later worked to restore access to the roadway, and by 5:55am, it was open again but asked for drivers to remain cautious.
No Injuries Reported
The early hours of the morning before sunrise can present challenging road conditions, so it is always advisable to be cautious when out on the road.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement division is investigating the crash in detail, with authorities yet to publicly establish what caused the truck to overturn.
Local radio station WGTJ reported that the driver was cited for failure to maintain lane. Despite how scary overturning an 18-wheeler can be, reports state that the driver had no injuries. There has been no official word on whether anyone in the surrounding vehicles was injured.
The Cleanup Operation
While investigators work to determine what happened, another task was underway at the scene itself: removing the huge amount of garbage from the roadway.
A spill of this size can require crews to collect loose material, remove the damaged truck, and ensure the roadway is clear before traffic can safely reopen.
It is not yet clear how many workers or vehicles were involved, exactly how long the cleanup took, or where the garbage was transported after it was removed from the road.
Despite the scale of the cleanup, the collective effort cleared the roadway in time for the morning rush hour.