In a wild scene that looked more like an action movie than a weekday commute, a garbage truck smashed through the backyard wall of a Surprise home early Wednesday after colliding with a passenger car near Reems and Waddell roads, according to city police. The sedan's driver was taken to a hospital, and it was not immediately clear whether the sanitation worker was hurt. Helicopter video from local crews showed the truck stopped in the yard just yards from the house, chunks of block wall and debris scattered across the lawn.
Collision details
Officers were called out just before 6:30 a.m. for a two-vehicle crash involving a passenger car and a sanitation truck near Reems and Waddell, Surprise police told 12News. The driver of the car was transported to a hospital, and the department said the collision remains under investigation.
Aerial footage shows the damage
Aerial video credited to Sky12 shows the garbage truck barreling through landscaping, blowing out a backyard wall and finally coming to rest inside the yard, Arizona's Family reported. The truck appears to be stopped just inches from the home's exterior, with broken masonry and debris littering the grass. Emergency crews worked the scene while neighbors kept their distance and watched the cleanup unfold.
Road closures and investigation
Surprise Police traffic officers responded to handle the investigation, and access to the busy intersection may be limited while they process the scene, according to 12News. Drivers were urged to build in extra time as the morning commute crawled past the closure.
Context: recent West Valley incidents
This crash lands less than two weeks after a Surprise landfill inferno sent a towering smoke plume across the West Valley, a one-two punch that has underscored public-safety and infrastructure strains in the rapidly growing suburbs, according to Hoodline. Local officials and emergency crews have been dealing with a string of heavy-vehicle and waste-industry incidents in recent weeks.
What residents should know
Arizona's Family reported that northbound traffic on Reems Road was diverted and that drivers were asked to use Bullard Avenue and Cactus Road instead while crews worked the scene. Motorists should expect lingering delays and keep an eye on local news or official Surprise Police updates as investigators sort out what led to the crash.
