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Crash leaves 40,000 pounds of tortillas scattered on highway

Posted at 4:20 PM, Nov 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-08 16:20:32-05

FOSTER TOWNSHIP, PA (WNEP) — Thousands of tortillas littered a road after a crash involving two tractor trailers and a car in Schuylkill County.

Busy Route 901 was shut down for hours outside Minersville after a crash that left police say 40,000 pounds flour tortilla scattered all over the roadway.

As traffic was detoured around the crash site, crews worked to get the vehicles and the mess out of the way while police investigated what happened.

Dan Fritz got caught in the backlog coming home from work.

“The traffic back up was real bad because of the wreck, there’s always wrecks because trucks come down there too fast,” said Fritz.

Foster Township police say speed was a factor in this wreck.

They say the truck hauling the tortillas was coming eastbound on Route 901 around noon on Wednesday when it took this curve too fast and its trailer began to wobble.

It slid into another tractor-trailer coming westbound, hitting its cabin, temporarily pinning the driver and his passenger inside.

The first truck continued on, hitting a car behind the second truck.

The force of the impact caused the first truck to topple over.

People living near Route 901 say speeding trucks are a problem.

“Tractor-trailers are a big issue in the township, going too fast,” said Joe Zula.

“The issue is over at that turn because the trucks come down there too fast and these guys don`t know how to drive,” said Fritz. “So, that’s what happens and then everybody else is affected in this area.”

There’s even a sign posted warning tractor-trailer drivers they may topple overtaking this curve.

Residents say they want drivers to slow down but don’t know how to make them do it.

“This town has cop but I don’t any kind of surveillance out there to slow them down,” said Larry Gelch.

“That I don’t know, the speed limits are up but I don’t know how you control it, don’t know,” said Zula.

Route 901 reopened around 5 p.m. on Wednesday and the investigation is ongoing.

The driver and passenger in the second truck, as well as the driver of the car, were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

The driver of the truck that toppled over remained at the crash.