Driver hospitalized after tree service truck loses brakes, drives off bridge in Delaware, police say

A tree service and landscaping truck drove through a bridge barrier in New Castle County, Delaware, after the truck lost its brakes, police said Friday.

The crash happened after 8 a.m. near New Bridge Road and Walkers Mill Road, New Castle County EMS said.

There was a major response near the base of the Rising Sun Lane Bridge over the Brandywine Creek in Wilmington. Delaware Task Force One, multiple fire departments, and tow companies worked for hours to strategically pull the truck up from an embankment. Police say the truck slammed through a stone wall, dropped to the ground, and was left smashed into pieces.

"The driver was in stable but critical condition. He was lying in the roadway away from the truck," said Lt. Thomas Rosenberger, Talleyville Fire Company.

The driver was behind the wheel of a Jake's Tree Service and Landscaping truck, which is out of Chester.  Police say he was headed south on New Bridge Road when he realized the truck had lost its brakes.

Police say the 27-year-old jumped from the truck and was run over by a trailer on the back hauling a skid loader. The truck went over the edge, and the driver was rushed to the hospital.

"Because of where it was positioned, we decided that before we sent people down there, we needed to see if there was fuel or anymore victims," Rosenberger said.

Officials say the truck was left in a precarious position, and Delaware Task Force One was called in to stabilize it before 200 gallons of fuel could be pumped out.

The bridge and roads around the area were shut down for hours. Cliff Short works nearby, and he grabbed a life vest and swam across the Brandywine Creek in order to get to his office.

"It's 90 degrees outside, so I had no problem doing it, I just needed to get there," Short said.

After nearly six hours, the truck was pulled out of the woods and back onto the road.

Delaware State Police say the crash remains under investigation.

"Talking with DelDOT earlier, it seems the bridge's height is lower than the truck's height itself, so it seems like the truck may have been a little too tall for the bridge," Rosenberger said.

CBS Philadelphia reached out to Jake's Tree Service and is waiting to hear back.

DelDOT says the bridge itself did not suffer any structural damage, and it will reopen once the scene is cleared.