Naples Garbage Truck Accident Lawyer
At first glance, you might not think of garbage trucks as especially dangerous vehicles. After all, they tend to move slowly and are only on the streets for a limited amount of time each week. But garbage truck accidents are more common than you might realize. According to the most recent statistics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there were 1,471 crashes involving garbage trucks in 2018 that resulted in injuries–and 124 accidents that led to at least one fatality.
Anytime that you are involved in an accident involving a commercial vehicle, it is important to protect and assert your legal rights. A Naples garbage truck accident lawyer can review the facts of your case and provide legal advice on what steps to take when it comes to seeking compensation for your injuries. At Cardinal Law, P.A., we represent victims in all types of commercial trucking accidents who have sustained such injuries and are looking to hold the negligent parties responsible.
Garbage Trucks Are More Dangerous Than You May Realize
Trash and recycling trucks can weigh anywhere from 40,000 to more than 65,000 pounds when fully loaded. It is this weight that makes garbage trucks especially dangerous. A pedestrian, bicyclist, or even someone in a normal-sized passenger vehicle has almost no protection when struck by one of these larger commercial trucks.
Garbage trucks often operate in inclement weather conditions, such as rain or fog, as well as early morning hours when there is little daylight. All of these factors limit the driver’s visibility. This makes it especially important for garbage truck drivers to exercise care in obeying speed limits and keeping a lookout for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vehicles at all times. Failure to do so can easily lead to a crash.
Some additional factors that commonly lead to garbage truck accidents include:
- Overloading – The more weight that a garbage truck takes on, the more difficult it is to control, which increases the risk of a rollover crash.
- Rear-End Collisions – Garbage trucks make frequent stops along their route. This can lead to a couple of different problems. The first is an increased risk of rear-end collisions as the truck suddenly stops and forces the vehicle behind them to collide. The second is that this frequent stopping adds wear and tear on the truck itself–especially the brakes–which can lead to mechanical failure.
- Improper Maintenance – Mechanical failure is also the result of failure to properly maintain a truck. Waste management companies need to inspect and repair their trucks on a regular schedule to ensure their safe operation. Failure to do so can lead a truck to become unsafe for roadway use.
Contact Cardinal Law Today
Getting hit by a garbage truck is no laughing matter. Even in non-fatal accidents the victims are often left with a pile of unpaid medical bills, lost income due to time missed from work, and other tangible and intangible losses. So if the negligence of a garbage truck driver or waste management company was to blame for the accident, they should be held legally accountable.
If you need to speak with an experienced Naples garbage truck accident lawyer, contact Cardinal Law, P.A., today to schedule a free consultation.
