PITTSTON TOWNSHIP – The owner of Global Auto Mart told Newswatch 16 that he will not let a freak accident get in the way of his plan to relocate a business, that his family started four-generations ago.
Police in Pittston Township said a runaway dump truck rolled backwards on Oak Street yesterday, crashed through a guiderail and slammed into a vacant building, which Carmen Capitano had just bought.
“We used to own Cap’s Auto Sales on the avenue and we were a lot larger years ago. Our family went their separate ways and we`re just building ourselves back up again,” said Capitano. “With that guardrail there, I never would have thought, but it busted through the guardrail like it was Swiss cheese.”
Capitano said he had planned to lease out the section of the building that was damaged by the runaway dump truck, but he still plans on relocating his business in the next few weeks.
"It`s just a speed bump. It`s normal, things happen, accidents happen, nobody got hurt. That`s all that matters,” said Capitano. “If it happened a week from now there would have been a lot of damage. Our full inventory would have been there. It would have taken out 5 or 6 cars on the front line, where they only took one out.”
One woman who works in an office next door told Newswatch 16 that she heard the loud crash, and she has never seen a vehicle smash through the guiderail in the past 13 years there.
“I knew it came through the guardrail, but I didn`t know it hit the building,” said Pat Capitano. “I don`t think it would have mattered what they had there. From what I could see, the truck was filled. I don`t know what could have possibly been there that could have prevented it. I would say, it was probably more the people maintaining the truck, that should look at something.”
Investigators have not yet said it the dump truck driver will face any citations.
PennDOT said the damaged guiderail will be replaced on Monday.