Trash Crash!

 

Arts Connections' Executive Director and Writing Together Instructor, Margaret Govoni, had a very dramatic week! She was home last Tuesday and heard some commotion, then her garbage man came to the door and informed her that he had crashed the garbage truck into her property, taking out the gas line, an electric pole and the fence. The gas line usually has an automatic shut off valve in case of such accidents, but because of the cold temperatures, it was frozen open and spewing gas. The electric pole was giving off sparks! It's a miracle that nothing exploded. It's also a miracle that the driver was unhurt. The garbage truck took down several trees, crushing the passenger side of the cab and a tree branch punctured the windshield and the passenger seat. East Mountain Disposal garbage trucks make the rounds with two people: the driver and the trash collector. Luckily, there was only one person operating the vehicle and collecting the trash, so there was no passenger. Electricity was out for 43 homes, including Margaret's. PNM replaced the pole and power was restored eight hours later. The gas leak was capped within just a few hours, but due to the damage, the gas line will have to be replaced all the way to Margaret's house. This will be a major project and will take weeks, if not longer. Meanwhile, Margaret and her family have no heat during the coldest week of the year. They are using their wood burning stove and space heaters to stay warm. A week after the accident, the garbage truck is still on Margaret's lawn, and yes, it does smell like trash!