Three Killed In Glenview Garbage Truck Crash

GLENVIEW, Ill. (CBS) -- Three people were killed after police say a garbage truck hit a vehicle and both burst into flames in Glenview.

Flames and choking smoke enveloped the intersection of Harlem and Harrison. They consumed a small passenger car, killing the three people inside.

A huge Village of Skokie refuse truck going north on Harlem plowed into the car that had apparently pulled into its path.

"I see truck and the top of the white car and i see the flames and I tell my husband to go back home," said one neighbor.

At one point a neighbor ran out with a fire extinguisher but was overcome and taken to a hospital. Tuesday night her husband told CBS 2's Mike Parker she's back home but still shaken up by the incident.

Some in the neighborhood say the accident is not surprising.

"We've lived here for ten years and there have been dozens of accidents," said Megan Galante. "This was terrible."

Skokie officials say the truck driver who was unhurt, was not at fault. They describe him as a veteran employee with an excellent performance record.