The driver of a run-away Hills refuse truck was lucky to escape serious injuries after trying to stop his vehicle from crashing into shops in Trowbridge.
He was left with a minor leg injury after trying to get back into the cab of the 27-tonne Hills waste collection vehicle to apply the handbrake.
The driver had got out his cab in Duke Street, Trowbridge, at around 8.40am on Wednesday to assist colleagues emptying blue bins.
But the vehicle began to roll backwards down the street after he forgot to apply the handbrake before leaving the cab.
The run-away truck glanced off a parked car and then demolished a ‘no entry’ street sign post and a bicycle.
It crashed into the front of No. 7 Duke Street, which is empty after being vacated by a computer business.
Nigel Evans, of Nigel’s Hair Design, had a narrow escape when the vehicle hit the street sign before crashing into the shop next door.
It is understood that Mr Evans was undoing the blinds on his shop's front window when the accident happened and was saved by the vehicle hitting the street sign.
He said: “It was a bit of a shock really. I had arrived at 8.30am and found a customer waiting so I leaned my bike against the signpost and opened up the salon.
“Two minutes later, the dustcart rolled back down the road and glanced off the vehicle parked outside my shop.
"It then clipped the signpost and my shop and crashed into the shop next door on the corner of Duke Street and Church Street.
“It could have been a lot worse. The driver obviously had left the handbrake off. He was lucky that at the end of the day nobody else got hurt.
“However, my £2,000 bike ended up under the wheels of the lorry and got flattened. I shall have to walk home tonight.”
The driver is understood to have pulled a hamstring in one of his legs while trying to get back into the cab to stop his vehicle.
The listed shop that was damaged is vacant and currently being renovated by its owner.
A spokesperson for Swindon-based Hills Group said: “Hills Municipal Collections can confirm that a refuse collection vehicle was involved in an incident in Trowbridge this morning (March 15) with damage caused to an empty shop premises, another vehicle, a post and bicycle.
“The driver of the vehicle sustained a minor leg injury as a result of trying to retrieve the vehicle. No injuries were sustained by members of the public.
“The company is assisting the police with their investigations into the incident and will also undertake an internal investigation.
“The Hills Group takes vehicle safety very seriously. Drivers undergo training on safe driving methods and our vehicles are maintained to the highest standards.”
A Wiltshire Police spokesperson added: "Police were called to Duke Street at 8.40am this morning following a report that a refuse collection vehicle had rolled into a shop front, causing damage to a shop front, street furniture and another vehicle.
"No arrests have been made.
"Anyone with information should call 101 and quote log number 47 of today."
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