There is no doubt that collisions involving pedestrian vehicles can cause serious injuries or death, but there is also no doubt that collisions involving heavier vehicles such as municipal or county garbage trucks, recycling vehicles, and other waste disposal trucks have a higher likelihood of causing permanent injury or death. For this reason, the drivers of those waste management vehicles have a heightened responsibility and duty of care to operate their vehicles in a safe, non-negligent manner. When those garbage truck drivers do not take that responsibility seriously, and their negligence causes serious bodily harm, the North Carolina lawyers of Maginnis Howard can help. Our Raleigh litigation team is experienced in severe and catastrophic injury lawsuits. We will do what is necessary to obtain the best outcome for you, including pursuing your case through trial. To speak with us now, please visit our contact page.
Proving Garbage or Recycling Truck Driver Negligence
In many ways, waste management truck drivers can be negligent, just like any other driver. Many crashes involving these refuse vehicles simply relate to a failure to observe the roadway and pay attention appropriately. For example, many collisions involving trash or recycling vehicles are simply rear-end wrecks where the truck driver has failed to stop for a red light or stop sign. Given the size of these vehicles, these garbage truck drivers particularly have difficulty seeing children, other pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists.
Other types of collisions are more unique to the size and scope of these waste management trucks. For example, an improperly retrained load or failure to watch for blind spots can cause collisions. Falling debris from garbage trucks can easily lead to collisions. Similarly, failure to maintain a waste management vehicle can lead to a crash. Notably, there are two common types of waste management vehicles. Some collection vehicles pick up trash from residences, and hauler vehicles take larger loads to landfills and incinerators.
Recoverable Compensation for Garbage Truck Driver Negligence
Once you have established that a garbage or recycling truck driver negligently caused your injuries or the injuries or death of a family member, certain types of compensation can be sought. If the case tragically involves wrongful death, our wrongful death page can explain the kind of compensation that is recoverable in those cases. If your garbage or recycling truck case involves bodily injury, the types of compensation you can recover include monetary damages for:
- past and future medical expenses,
- lost wages and future diminished earning capacity,
- past and future physical pain and mental suffering
- permanent injury,
- past and future loss of use of part of the body,
- permanent scarring.
These are dependent upon a proper showing that the damage has actually been caused by the crash with the garbage truck or recycling truck.
Contact our Garbage Truck Accident Attorneys
Maginnis Howard and its attorneys have extensive experience litigating high-stakes personal injury litigation, including truck accident claims. We provide free consultations to victims and the families of victims of collisions involving garbage trucks, recycling trucks, and other waste management vehicles. If your injuries have left you unable to travel, we will come to meet you to discuss your case. If yours is a case we can handle, we will offer a contingency fee arrangement, meaning that you will not owe any attorneys’ fees unless we recover a monetary settlement or verdict on your behalf.
You can also visit our contact page to send us the details of your case. Maginnis Howard handles garbage truck claims throughout the Carolinas. We have three conveniently located offices in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Fayetteville, and regularly travel to clients who are unable to visit an office.
