Tanker slams into parked cars in Rahway; Neighbors say it's not 1st time

RAHWAY, N.J. (WABC) -- Frustrated neighbors are getting estimates to repair or even replace their cars after a tanker truck collided with several vehicles in Rahway Tuesday morning.

The booming sound of crunching metal and breaking glass set off alarms when the truck lost control and slammed into cars parked along West Inman Avenue around 6 a.m.

And the residents say this isn't the first time something like this happened on their street. Patti Rushton and her family have been victimized by bad drivers in the past, as well.

"It's every year, brand new cars down the drain," she said. "My son's car was old, but my daughters' have brand new cars, two of them."

One of Ruston's daughter had her car totaled outside the home in 2011, and family members say they are getting tired of their parked cars being plowed over.

"People do 35, 40, 45, even 50 (miles per hour)," victim Edwardo Carvalho said.

The speed limit on the avenue is 25, but Inman is a busy residential block that leads into major thoroughfares. And residents say motorists need to slow it down.

"Just because it's a busy street doesn't mean there aren't children around," Rushton said. "There is."

While the Rushton family got the brunt of the damage this time, next-door neighbor Ceaser Castro is also assessing repairs to his 2003 BMW, which was parked in his driveway when it was struck by one of the vehicles bowled over by the truck.

The bumper was dangling off his car, which was so bent out of alignment that the trunk wouldn't close.

The tanker was empty, but nearby homes were briefly evacuated until emergency workers deemed the scene safe.

Luckily, no injuries were reported.