YARMOUTH – Yarmouth Police report that on Tuesday at 7:43 AM, they along with Yarmouth Firefighters responded to a motor vehicle crash on Great Western Road involving a vehicle and a fuel oil tanker truck.
Upon arrival the scene was secured and traffic diverted and detoured for approximately one hour.
The crash was investigated by Yarmouth Police Patrol Officer Paul Mellet who determined that a 2009 Nissan Murano was traveling east on Great Western Road at the posted speed limit. The operator stated that the sun was very low in the sky and the glare was so bad that he couldn’t see. He stated that he didn’t see the fuel truck parked on the side of the road until the very last second and he never hit the brakes.
The tanker had been parked on the side of the roadway and had just finished making a home fuel delivery when the crash occurred.
Yarmouth Fire Fighters who arrived at the scene confirmed that the sun upon their arrival was very bright and directly in the easterly path of Great Western Road.
The tanker truck—a 1997 Ford owned by Cape Cod Oil Service Inc. suffered a cracked piece of axle which would make the truck too dangerous to drive on the road.
The tanker was carrying over 4,000 gallons of home heating oil and was eventually towed by a heavy duty flatbed tow truck by Silver Cloud Towing of South Yarmouth.
Media release and photo furnished by Yarmouth Police
