DUPONT -- Witnesses say a utility truck went airborne as it crashed Monday morning in Luzerne County.
The wreck closed part of busy Route 315 and happened only hours after police launched a crackdown on speeding there.
Dupont police started that crackdown on traffic violations on Route 315 at 7:30 a.m. Monday. Cops say two hours later the driver of a bucket truck ran a red light and wrecked.
For more than half an hour, rescuers worked to free the driver of the utility bucket truck.
The truck was brand new, picked up for delivery minutes before, heading to a utility out of state. But instead, that truck landed on its side along Route 315 in Dupont after rolling across the busy road, sometimes in the air.
"I came to the window and I looked out and I saw a truck flipping two or three times. I mean it was in the air and the tire flew across the yard and landed over here. It was scary, very scary," said Susan Vargo.
The tire ended up in Vargo's driveway, 50 yards from where the truck ended up.
It all started when police say the driver ran a red light, hit a Pittston city dump truck, then started flipping, even gouging the pavement.
"I think my heart stopped for a second and I thought, 'Oh my God! What do I do?" said Vargo.
Police aren't certain yet that speed was a factor that caused that truck to crash, but this wreck happened just hours after a specific speed trap started in this area to crack down on drivers going too fast.
"We just started enforcing the speed, matter of fact, today," said Dupont Police Chief Sean Murray.
A Dupont officer was still watching for speeders as rescue crews dealt with the crash down the hill.
Police and Dupont leaders say 75 percent of drivers through this stretch are from outside the area and need to pay attention or something like this happens.
"People need to slow down, especially on these state highways with all the intersections, where anything can happen in a split second," said Dupont borough council member Mark Kowalczyk.
Rescuers say the truck driver was alert when he was pulled from the vehicle. He was taken to the hospital.
Police haven't said yet what, if any citations he may face for running that red light along Route 315.
