New Jersey Garbage and Recycling Truck Accident Lawyer

Car accidents involving garbage trucks and/or recycling trucks are more common than people may think. Garbage trucks are more dangerous than one may realize, due to their enormous weight and size. Additionally, the loads they may be carrying can be dangerous as well if it falls out of, or off of, the vehicle and lands on another vehicle or the road. Garbage/recycling trucks typically weigh tens of thousands of pounds and stretch more than 30 feet. 

These types of accidents are frightening and can result in serious injuries. Often the truck drivers and the crew riding on the back of the trucks are the ones injured. However, anything can happen. The problem of car accidents involving garbage trucks is not new.  

What Causes Garbage and Recycling Truck Accidents?

Much like motor vehicle crashes, garbage trucks and recycling truck collisions can happen for a variety of reasons. Common reasons include the following:

• Speeding to get a route done
• Driving while distracted
• Driving while fatigued
• Dumping waste that hits another person or vehicle
• Objects falling off the truck
• Driving under the influence of street and/or prescription drugs and/or alcohol
• Lack of proper training
• Long stopping distances due to weight
• Driving in the wrong lane
• Not obeying the rules of the road
• Not yielding the right of way
• Hazardous waste spills
• Constant starting and stopping
• Visibility issues in the early morning hours or later at night
• Navigating in close quarters on narrow streets or alleyways
• Not checking known blind spots 
• Improper vehicle maintenance
• Rear-end collision
• Improper loading of cargo causes swerving, shifting

Just like car drivers, garbage truck drivers or recycling truck drivers can be negligent drivers, and should they cause an accident, the survivor(s) can seek to recover compensation for their injuries. It is important to note that to recover compensation, a plaintiff needs to prove the accident was a direct result of the garbage truck or recycling truck driver’s negligence. A plaintiff also needs to file a personal injury claim within two years from the date of the accident.

It is not always just the garbage truck driver that is responsible for an accident. The cause of an accident may be linked back to the manufacturers of the vehicle parts, the employer, and/or other third parties. Each case is different. Each has a different cause and outcome. To ensure your rights are protected, should you have a car accident with a garbage truck or a recycling truck, and are injured, it is important that you contact the highly skilled personal injury attorneys at the Todd J. Leonard Law Firm.

Types of Garbage Trucks on the Road 

The most common types of garbage trucks/recycling vehicles (or refuse trucks) on the road today include:

• Rear loaders – have a big space at the rear where a garbage collector hangs off the back of the truck to jump off to gather garbage and empty the contents into the back.
• Side loaders – loaded manually or using an automatic robotic arm. The arm picks up trash from the side of the vehicle emptying contents into the truck.
• Front loaders – have a hydraulically controlled forklift on the front that lifts and dumps bin contents into the hopper, which are then compacted into the rear of the truck.
• Pneumatic collection – usually done by an arm from the side of the truck that lifts the bin to the top of the truck and dumps it.
• Grapple trucks – are dump truck bodies on a truck chassis. The truckloads the dump truck body to take away refuse and debris. The grapple portion is attached to the dump truck body to make the truck more versatile. 
• Roll-off garbage trucks – carry a roll-off container that is dropped off, loaded, and picked up to empty at a landfill or recycling center. Usually used for large-scale commercial waste removals.

Approximately 30 percent of all garbage truck/recycling truck accidents are the result of the following:

• Not checking well-known larger truck blind spots
• Not paying attention to warning signals 
• Not paying attention to sounds
• Backing up without having clear visibility

Even though garbage trucks and recycling trucks do have safety mechanisms to warn drivers and are equipped with loud beepers and large side mirrors, impatient car drivers have been known to speed by a working truck. If this happens in poor weather or low visibility conditions, it can cause a major accident on the highway or a local road.

While garbage truck and recycling truck operators can help reduce the number of accidents with motor vehicles, it is also up to car drivers to be alert when driving near a working truck with or without workers riding on the back. 

Some of the things a garbage truck or recycling truck crew can do to minimize accidents can involve paying extra attention to cameras and radar, using a spotter to alert them to possible dangers, having loud backup alarms, double checking blind spots, and always wearing seatbelts inside the truck. Despite added safety precautions to prevent car accidents with garbage trucks or recycling trucks, they are only successful if they are followed.

What do I do if I was injured in an accident with a garbage truck or recycling truck?

The first thing to do if you are injured in an accident is make sure you immediately seek medical care.  Keep records of everything related to your accident, including photos of your vehicle, medical records and receipts, eyewitness information, police report, insurance correspondence, etc. All information relating to your accident with a garbage truck or recycling truck (or refuse truck or sanitation truck) should be retained for review by your truck accident lawyer at the Todd J. Leonard Law Firm.

Contact the Experienced Truck Accident Lawyers at the Todd J. Leonard Law Firm Now!

If you, or a loved one, has suffered serious injuries, or sadly, a wrongful death, as the result of a New Jersey truck accident, reach out to the Todd J. Leonard Law Firm for immediate assistance. Attorney Todd Leonard is a Certified Trial Lawyer with more than 35 years of experience helping truck accident victims recover the compensation they need to overcome the hurdles they face, now and in the future. The Truck Accident Attorneys at the Todd J. Leonard Law Firm take an individualized approach to every case they handle, ensuring each client gets the attention they deserve. Our team of personal injury lawyers have been helping clients who have been seriously injured in all types of accidents, such as a car accident, pedestrian accident, slip and fall accident, motorcycle accident, truck accident, or were injured at work. We are a Five-Star rated law firm, recovering a total of more than $100 million on behalf of our clients. We will do our best to hold the negligent party (or parties) fully accountable for their actions, and get you the justice you deserve. To learn more and to schedule a FREE, confidential consultation, give us a call today at 973-920-7900. You can also connect with us through our online form. We have two conveniently located offices in Denville and Morristown, New Jersey.