WEST BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP -- There is major damage to a building after a big rig crash in Schuylkill County.
State police said the driver of a tractor-trailer hit a concrete barrier in a narrow construction zone on Route 61 in West Brunswick Township around 3:30 a.m. Monday, lost control, hit a parked car and then slammed right into Russo's Pizza Den.
No one was hurt, but the owner of the place near Orwigsburg is left will a big mess to clean up.
Russo's Pizza Den near Orwigsburg has been in business for more than 30 years. The restaurant is off on Route 61, a busy highway, but the owner says he's never seen anything like this.
It's not the wakeup call the owner of Russo's Pizza Den near Orwigsburg expected, that a tractor trailer slammed into your family business. But that's what owner Mike Russo woke up to before sunrise.
"I'm just glad that nobody was seriously hurt. We need to start thinking about rebuilding and getting this thing up and running again," Russo said.
State police tell Newswatch 16 that the driver of the big rig told them. He lost control on a patch of ice on Route 61. The truck ran off the road and slammed into Russo's.
The truck driver is expected to recover, but he was stuck in the rig until the fire department could shore up the building's roof.
The area where that tractor trailer crashed into is the dining area of Russo's Pizza Den. Now, five workers are clearing everything out to make sure the building can still stand and be rebuilt.
"We're going to try to cut the roof away enough to at least pull that side down and put it into the dumpsters," said Jeff Miller, who is helping to clean up the mess.
Miller says the pizza shop usually has a decent crowd.
"They have good food here. It's always busy. This is a big hit for Mike."
But the owner says, once the wreckage is cleared out and he's dealt with insurance, he plans to rebuild.
Russo's employees think that's the best idea.
"(I'm) standing by my boss. We'll get open in the next few days, I hope," said manager Kim Weist.
State police in Schuylkill County are investigating the crash.
There is no word yet on if that truck driver will be charged.
