Garbage truck slams into Edmonton garage: ‘It’s a bit of a catastrophe’

An Edmonton neighbourhood was buzzing with speculation Thursday after the back end of a garbage truck crushed a detached garage in Mill Creek Ravine.

Police said a collision between two garbage trucks was reported at around 10:15 a.m. near 96 Street and 88 Avenue.

An EPS spokesperson said the first truck, which was allegedly unmanned and parked on a hill in an alley north of 87 Avenue, began rolling backwards, before colliding with a second garbage truck at the bottom of the hill. The first vehicle struck a residential detached garage, knocking it off its foundation and damaging two private vehicles inside.

“This is a pretty quiet little lane,” neighbour Kathleen Hunter said. “I just came around the corner and wow, flashing lights, lots of police cars and incredulously, a waste disposal truck that looks like it’s backed almost right over top my neighbour’s garage. So that’s pretty shocking!

“It’s a bit of a catastrophe. This garage has been basically decimated by a waste disposal truck so it begs the question: ‘How the hell did that happen?’

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The garage is located at the bottom of a hill that Hunter admits has been a bit of a struggle in the past for vehicles without winter tires during snowy season. Still, Thursday’s scene caught her by surprise.

“It seems bizarre even that the truck would have got that far down the hill, slid that far, before somehow stopping. But no, it did not stop. So the truck is in my neighbour’s garage and the roof has been flattened.”

No one was injured but police said the garage and its contents sustained “extensive damage.” The gas meter on the side of the garage was also damaged and a utility crew was called out to the scene.

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The area shoulders a walking trail and a public park.

“There’s a very popular walking path… right in front of the house,” Const. Katie Hilton explained. “It leads down to a little park. So we’re very thankful that there were no children, animals or people walking by at the time. It could have been a lot worse. So we’re thankful it was the least damage as possible.”

A picnic table and tree also appeared to have been damaged.

The residence has heritage designation with the City of Edmonton. Because of that, tow trucks aren’t allowed to move anything until approval is given.