People often cite “garbage truck driver” as an undesirable job, but we should all be grateful for garbage trucks and the people who work on them, or else our streets would be full of overflowing trash cans. Driving any kind of truck takes a lot of skill; there is a reason that you need a special kind of license to do it. 18-wheelers on the highway bring one set of risks with their enormous trailers that can wipe out dozens of cars if they swing to the side, their air brakes that take a lot of time and distance to stop, and all of their parts that need to be maintained so precisely that you would think that they were microscopic instead of huge. Garbage trucks are much smaller than big rigs, and they travel at much slower speeds, but they bring their own set of hazards. If you have been injured in a collision with a garbage truck, contact a New York truck accident lawyer.
Motorist Dies After Collision With Garbage Truck in Brooklyn
In January 2024, a Mercedes Benz collided with a garbage truck in Brooklyn. Images posted on news sites make it appear that the front of the Mercedes collided with the side of the garbage truck near its rear tires. The driver of the Mercedes, a 42-year-old man, died of his injuries at a hospital shortly after the accident. The driver of the garbage truck was not injured. According to a statement released by Cogent Waste Solutions, the owner of the truck and the employer of the garbage truck driver, the Mercedes ran a red light at high speed before hitting the truck. The driver had a revoked driver’s license, and his vehicle was unregistered.
What Can Go Wrong With a Garbage Truck?
You can see, hear, and smell a garbage truck from a distance, so experienced drivers know to keep their distance when a garbage truck is nearby. The trucks stop frequently, and the workers get out to pick up trash cans, empty them into the truck, and return them to the pickup locations. When the trucks are operating in residential areas, where pedestrians and bicyclists are numerous, even a momentary distraction on the part of the garbage truck driver could lead to a catastrophic collision with a pedestrian or bike. Likewise, garbage trucks start and stop suddenly near driveways, so drivers must be careful when backing out of their driveways if a garbage truck is on their street. Garbage cans and discarded items can also become airborne if the weather is windy or if the sanitation workers do not handle them properly, and this debris could cause distractions and accidents.
Contact Leitner Varughese Warywoda About Truck Accident Cases
A truck accident lawyer can help you if you suffered serious injuries in an accident where a garbage truck hit your car or you crashed into debris left in the road by a garbage truck. Contact Leitner Varughese Warywoda PLLC in Brooklyn, New York, or call (212)671-1110 to discuss your case.
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