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Galesburg garbage truck detained by tree

Neighbors said the driver's routine route was thwarted when a taller-than-normal truck got snagged in a tree's branches. It took crews nearly 4 hours to cut it out.

GALESBURG, Ill. — Talk about a messy situation! 

On Tuesday morning, a Galesburg garbage truck driver was making a routine route when the truck became tangled up in low-hanging tree branches. 

Neighbors told News 8 it took nearly four hours to cut away enough foliage to free the vehicle. Around 15 people were on site, including crews from Ameren, Waste Management and the city of Galesburg.

According to neighbor, C.J. Jones, the truck in question wasn't typical for the route. Instead, it was a taller version than what normally comes down his street. 

"He went under the same tree he's gone under a million times when 'Bam!' this other truck was just a little too tall," Jones said. 

Crews spent hours carefully sawing away branches and limbs, careful to protect the tree's structural integrity and nearby power lines. Eventually, the trash truck was freed and garbage pickup could resume. 

Jones says the tree's owners were actually relieved by the whole ordeal. 

"It looked like there was a crack in the tree and they were worried it would fall into their yard," Jones said. "But it didn't! And they got the truck free!"

He laughed when retelling the story, saying it certainly had the neighborhood talking. 

"I went out to take care of my trash and saw this instead," Jones chuckled. "It was pretty funny... unless you're the driver!"

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