Cement truck overturns, makes State Road mess

By Janet Hefler - December 14, 2006

A Goodale Construction Company Plant cement truck driven by Jeremy Goodale overturned on State Road Sunday afternoon about 2:30 pm. The accident resulted in road closures on Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road and State Road, Camp Street, Causeway Road, and South Main Street for four hours as state and Tisbury department of public work (DPW) crews contained and cleaned up slurry spilled from the truck's ruptured water tank, and several heavy equipment operators righted and removed the truck.

According to Tisbury police chief John Cashin, Mr. Goodale reported that his brakes failed as he approached the corner to turn right from Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road onto State Road, towards Vineyard Haven. As he came around the corner, the cement truck tipped over on two wheels, and then overturned, coming to rest on the other side of the road on the driver's side on a sidewalk against a wooden fence.

Chief Cashin said that although Mr. Goodale was pinned behind the steering wheel in the truck's cab, he remained alert and conscious, talking to Tisbury fire department personnel while they worked for 20 minutes to extricate him using a Hurst tool, also known as the "Jaws of Life."

Tisbury emergency medical technicians strapped Mr. Goodale to a backboard for safety and transported him to Martha's Vineyard Hospital where he was examined, found to have no injuries, and released that day. Mr. Goodale said he was wearing his seat belt, and sustained only bruises. He returned to his job as company president on Monday.

"I want to thank everyone who helped me," Mr. Goodale said in a phone call yesterday.

Tisbury fire chief John Schilling said the cement truck carried a full load of about 50,000 pounds of gravel and sand, which remained dry and contained in the drum after the accident even though the separate water tank ruptured.

Chief Schilling and about 20 firefighters responded at the scene with three trucks, including a HazMat truck. "Our primary concerns were to extricate the driver and contain the runoff, because the storm drains at that location lead to Vineyard Haven harbor," Chief Schilling said.

The state DPW contracted Andrew Farrissey of Oak Bluffs, who specializes in handling hazardous materials, for cleanup assistance. R. M. Packer Company provided special absorbent to help contain the runoff.

"In very typical Martha's Vineyard fashion, people heard about the accident and came from all over the Island offering their expertise to assist," said Chief Schilling, including heavy equipment operators from Goodale's Construction, Offshore Engineering, Watercourse Construction, John Keene Excavation and White Bros.-Lynch Corporation. Their combined workforce managed to right the cement truck on the first attempt and drag it onto a lowboy trailer for removal.

Chief Cashin commended Tisbury police officer Daniel Hanavan, Sgt. Rodney Silvia, and Tisbury's fire department for their professionalism at the accident scene. Chief Schilling added his thanks to Oak Bluffs for providing mutual aid.