A truck carrying propane fell from a bridge that partially collapsed Tuesday into the Little Lehigh Creek at the Wildlands Conservancy in Lower Macungie Township.
No one was injured in the incident, which happened around noon at the entrance to the conservancy on Orchard Place, said Christopher Kocher, its president.
Kocher, who was sorting through the events, said no propane leaked into the creek or the air that officials are aware of.
The back of the truck wound up falling from one side of the bridge, while the rest of the vehicle was still on the other half, he said. About half of the bridge collapsed, he said.
The driver was briefly trapped in the truck, which is owned by Sharp Energy. State police said in a news release Wednesday that the driver, a 35-year-old woman from Fleetwood, Berks County, was not injured.
Children who were attending the conservancy were evacuated as a precaution, Kocher said. The collapse drew a response from first responders in Lower Macungie and Emmaus, as well as state police, he said.
Kocher said it was unclear why the propane truck was heading over the unnamed bridge, which goes to the Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary. He said the conservancy does not use the gas.
“We’re thankful nobody was injured,” he said. The bridge has a weight limit of 5 tons, he said.
State police spokesperson Nathan Branosky said the Fogelsville barracks is investigating and that the conservancy entrance was closed until further notice.
Alex Nye, a spokesperson with Chesapeake Utilities Corp in Dover, Delaware, which owns Sharp Energy, said the company is cooperating and working with local investigators. He also said the truck did not leak any propane into the water.
State police are inspecting the vehicle to make sure it was in compliance with the law.
