August 20, 2021
Approximate time: 0040
Weather Conditions: Rain

Contacted to respond to Route 41 north of Highland Road in West Fallowfield Township for a commercial motor vehicle accident. We were advised that a tractor trailer hauling oranges had left the roadway and overturned onto it’s passenger side. We were advised that there were fluids leaking from both the truck and the trailer.

Based upon the information that we were given, we immediately contacted Null’s Recovery & Site Restoration for their spill response team, and their traffic control team. We also mobilized three of our heavy duty sliding rotator recovery units to the scene and a heavy duty wrecker. Our recovery supervisor reported that a Freightliner tractor pulling a 53′ reefer trailer loaded with oranges had been travelling northbound on Route 41 approximately 1/4 mile north of the intersection with Highland Road when it left the right side of the roadway. The tractor trailer unit continued off the roadway and down an embankment. The unit overturned onto it’s passenger side. There were engine fluids leaking from the truck along with a small leak from the reefer on the trailer. The reefer unit was attempting to start.

Three of our portable light towers were set-up to provide a safe work environment for the crews working onscene.

We were given the go ahead by PSP to begin the recovery.

Our air cushion recovery unit was dispatched to the scene to assist in recovering the loaded trailer. The rotators and air cushions worked together to upright the tractor and loaded trailer. The air cushions were placed under the trailer. Straps were also placed under the trailer. Rigging was connected to the front of the tractor. The air cushions were used to slowly lift the trailer back to a partial upright position. Once the air cushions were maxed out, the rotators finished uprighting the tractor trailer unit. Once the unit was upright, two of the rotators held the trailer upright while the third rotator repositioned to winch the unit forwards back onto the roadway. All three rotators worked together to recover the still loaded tractor trailer back onto the roadway. The rear end of the trailer was lifted and set back up the embankment and onto the roadway.

Once the tractor trailer was on the roadway, the truck and trailer were separated. All of the rigging was loaded onto one of our rollbacks for transport from the accident scene to our facility to be cleaned and inspected. The heavy duty wrecker hooked to the rear of the tractor and prepared to tow it from the accident scene. Our truck tractor was hooked to the trailer and prepared to transport it from the scene. The damaged truck and trailer were both transported from the scene to Null’s of Cochranville where they were placed in our secure storage yard.

The rigging was unloaded, cleaned, inspected, and returned to it’s respective location. The air cushions were inflated, cleaned, allowed to dry, deflated, and returned to their respective location.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE COCHRANVILLE AND KEYSTONE VALLEY FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE POLICE FOR THEIR HELP WITH TRAFFIC CONTROL AT THIS INCIDENT! AS ALWAYS, IT IS GREAT APPRECIATED!