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Garbage Truck Crashes Into Home, Ruins Graduation Party

No injuries reported in Thursday morning accident.

A 24-ton Waste Management truck crashed into a home on the 4500 block of Cristy Way, officials said.

The accident was reported at around 10:15 a.m. Thursday, when a garbage collector had left the truck on Cristy Way near Joseph Drive to collect a cart when the truck rolled down a hill, Waste Management spokeswoman Karen Stern said.

"This is highly unusual," she said. "We're all interested in determining what happened."

Lydia Cathey, who lives at the home where the truck crashed into, said she was preparing the house for her daughter's high school graduation party when she heard a loud crash, followed by another loud noise that sounded like a plane crash.

"I just saw this truck coming closer and closer," Cathey said. "My wall just started to collapse. I stood there in disbelief."

Chip Anderson, battallion chief of the Alameda County Fire Department, said the Waste Management truck was loading up garbage cans when it hit a power pole and a nearby SUV.

The SUV then rolled back into a neighboring home and the waste management truck ended up into Cathey's home, concaving the front of her house.

"The truck had brake failure or didn't set its brakes," Anderson said.

PG&E shut down power in the area after the incident for safety purposes.

No injuries have been reported in the accident, but neighbors say the driver of the truck appeared to be visibly shaken.

Stern said safety is a priority at Waste Management, and noted that drivers start their days with a checklist to assess the mechanical safety of their vehicles. She said the driver involved has been with Waste Management for at least 10 years.

Cristy Way remains closed to vehicles as a precaution, officials said.

As for Cathey's daughter's graduation party?

"She wanted to be the center of attention," Cathey said. "But now this is."

Bay City News contributed to this report.

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