A dump truck driver is recovering after his vehicle overturned on Route 1 in Delaware Monday afternoon.
Theodore Hartle, 53, of Townsend, Delaware was driving a 2004 Mack truck owned by Colonial Trucking, Inc. on Route 1 southbound just north of Route 72 (Wrangle Hill Road) in the center lane around 2:30 p.m. As traffic started to slow in front of him, Hartle hit the brakes and started traveling into the center median of the highway when the left side of his truck struck a wire guardrail, police said.
The crash caused Hartle's truck to overturn onto its left side, spilling approximately 20 tons of dirt into the northbound lanes of Route 1.
Hartle was trapped in his vehicle for around ten minutes until responding firefighters pulled him out. He was transported to Christiana Hospital where he was treated for serious injuries. He was also cited by state troopers for following too closely.
The northbound and southbound lanes of Route 1 were partially closed for about two and a half hours as officials investigated and cleared the crash scene.
