UPDATED: Garbage truck spills trash on U.S. 90 west at Thorguson Road in Berwick

Traffic was slowed for about two hours Thursday afternoon on U.S. 90 west in Berwick after a garbage truck dumped almost its entire load onto the highway due to an unsecured rear door on the truck, Berwick Police Chief James Richard said.
Berwick police received a call at 1:25 p.m. Thursday that a garbage truck had dumped trash on U.S. 90 west coming off the bridge just before the traffic light at the U.S. 90 intersection with Thorguson Road, Richard said.
The driver of the Progressive Waste Solutions garbage truck, Kenneth Hartman, 40, of Houma was cited for unsecure load.
Officers determined the rear door of the garbage truck wasn’t properly secured, Richard said.
When the truck came into Berwick, traveling west in the left lane and preparing to turn left onto Berwick South Road, the door opened and most of the truck’s garbage load dumped onto the highway, Richard said.
Around 3 p.m. Thursday, a minor vehicle crash occurred in the right lane of U.S. 90 west in Berwick before the trash was cleared from the highway, Richard said.
However, Richard doesn’t believe that crash was caused by the trash on the highway.
Police diverted traffic to the right shoulder of U.S. 90 west while workers cleaned the highway, Richard said.
At about 3:35 p.m. Thursday, police reopened the highway after Progressive Waste Solutions workers picked up the trash, Richard said.

This story was written by Zachary Fitzgerald of The Daily Review staff. Reach him at zfitzgerald@daily-review.com.