Published: 7/27/2018 11:45:50 PM
Modified: 7/27/2018 11:46:01 PM
Royalton — A box truck containing Amazon packages destined for the South Royalton Post Office was heavily damaged and the packages destroyed when its driver crossed the centerline on Route 14 earlier this week and caused a fiery head-on crash, police said.
The driver of the box truck, Kashonia Gaskins, of Connecticut, suffered minor injuries in the 5:30 a.m. crash on Wednesday morning near Dairy Hill Road in Royalton, Royalton Police Chief Loretta Stalnaker said on Friday.
Gaskins allegedly fell asleep at the wheel while driving northbound on Route 14 and crashed head on into a pick up truck operated by Royalton resident Chad Couture, who was traveling southbound at the time.
The impact of the crash caused Couture’s truck to spin 180 degrees and end up in the northbound lane. His truck caught fire and the flames spread to the box truck, Stalnaker said.
Couture suffered injuries in the crash, including a broken collar bone, according to Stalnaker.
U.S. Postal Service Spokesman Steve Doherty confirmed the packages on the truck were headed for the South Royalton Post Office, but did not know how many packages or customers were impacted. A woman at the post office referred all questions to him.
The truck was about half full of packages, Stalnaker said.
“Once packages are received, they are scanned into our system and trackable from that point until the moment of delivery on usps.com,” Doherty said. “Since these were never mailed, we have no way of determining what was on the truck.”
Doherty encouraged people who may have been impacted to reach out to the shipping company, Amazon.
Amazon spokesman Ernesto Apreza said that some packages on the truck made it to customers without issues. Stalnaker contended though, that all of the contents of the truck were destroyed.
The packages that were damaged have either been replaced or refunded, Apreza said via email.
He said customers can track their packages and reach out to customer service if they need assistance with a delivery.
Gaskins will receive a traffic ticket for driving left of the centerline, Stalnaker said.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.