Garbage Truck Draped Over Median After Crash
I’m Ed Smith, a Berkeley car accident lawyer. An accident about a half-hour’s drive from Berkeley between a garbage truck and several vehicles along Interstate 280 on August 10 caused injuries. Traffic was blocked on both sides of the highway until 9:00 at night after a second crash while trying to remove the truck from the accident scene it breake loose from the tow truck.
What Occurred?
The California Highway Patrol reported that the accident happened around 5:30 in the afternoon as a garbage truck, operated by Recology, hit a divider in the center, colliding with two additional vehicles. When the truck broke away from the wrecker sent to remove it, the vehicle became lodged on the top of the highway divider with the cab section on the left side of the highway heading south and the back section left dangling from the other side. Fuel oil was spilled as a result of the accident and had to be cleaned up in addition to removing the debris from the crash site. In order to remove the garbage truck from the accident site, the road was closed in both directions at about 7:20. The CHP is currently conducting an investigation into a cause of the crash.
Accident Injuries
Information is sketchy about the individuals injured in the crash. However, one person was reported as having been transported to a hospital.
Garbage Truck Accidents
Garbage truck accidents can cause serious injury and death to others due to the truck’s size and weight. On average, garbage trucks weigh between 15 and 32 tons. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, approximately 1,400 accidents occur annually with 90 fatal crashes. In addition to passenger cars, pedestrians and cyclists are also at high risk.
Reasons Garbage Truck Accidents Happen
Garbage truck accidents happen for a variety of reasons, however, some of the most common are:
- Distracted driver
- Inability to see vehicles, pedestrians or bikers behind the truck
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Lack of maintenance
- Potholes
- Poorly trained drivers
- Narrow roadways
- Mechanical failure
- Fatigued driver
- Inoperable reverse crash avoidance technology
Truck Content Overflow
On occasion, garbage trucks are not loaded properly or are over filled. When that happens, debris can fall from a truck as it is making its way to unload the garbage. The debris can either litter the roadway or land on another vehicle. In both cases, serious injury can occur.
Defective Roads
The truck may also become overbalanced, particularly on defective roads. Traveling over potholes or turning a corner too quickly can cause a rollover. If an accident happens due to a defective road, the city or state may be partially responsible for the accident.
Injuries in Garbage Truck Accidents
Serious injury occurs when a garbage truck hits a smaller motor vehicle. Fatal accidents commonly follow pedestrian and bicyclist accidents. Common injuries are:
- Fractures
- Spinal injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
- Severe back injuries
- Accidental amputations
Berkeley Car Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Berkeley car accident lawyer. Collisions with garbage trucks can cause traumatic injuries to those in a motor vehicle. Call me please at (510) 631-0200 for my friendly, free advice if you or a member of your family has suffered an injury due to a garbage truck driver’s negligent actions. I can also be contacted at (800) 404-5400.
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