Truck Driver Blacked Out Before Crashing Into East Hanover Home, Report Says

Nearly two months after crashing a garbage truck into an East Hanover home, displacing its residents as the vehicle caught on fire, the driver has told police he blacked out during the incident, according to a news report.

Wayne Whitsitt, 54, of Tannersville, Pa., had told officers on the scene in May that he had sneezed and lost control of the vehicle after a drink container got wedged under the brake pedal, causing him to crash into the Daniel Drive home, NJ.com reported. Police said Tuesday Whitsitt has now claimed he blacked out and does not remember what happened before the incident, although he did not previously have a medical condition conducive to blackouts, the website reported.

The home, which was being rented by a family of five, was deemed uninhabitable and scheduled to be knocked down. The community came together immediately following the crash to donate clothing and supplies to the displaced family members who lived there.