A Maryland garbage truck accident lawyer can assist you if a garbage truck driver’s negligence causes you injuries. While you may be a pedestrian, most accidents involve other motor vehicles. Whatever the case is, we can help you take the proper steps towards securing meaningful compensation. Garbage trucks play a vital role in Maryland and society as a whole. They maintain the cleanliness that keeps our streets pristine. Maryland would cease to exist without garbage truck drivers as we know it. However, as important as they are, driving them around is not easy. They are large and cumbersome to maneuver in tight residential streets. Meanwhile, drivers feel the pressure of sticking to a tight schedule. This pressure may cause them to create unforced errors, leading to significant injuries.
There are many causes of garbage truck accidents, necessitating assistance from a good injury lawyer. When a truck as large as a garbage truck is in an accident, the consequences are disastrous. Of course, there is an unpleasant smell from any trash that may fall out of the trash. That smell is especially present in rollover accidents. Because these accidents often occur on residential streets, the consequences of the truck driver’s negligence are generally felt most by a small number of people. The driveways to some homes may be blocked. Worse yet, the victims of a garbage truck accident may be young children playing in their streets, riding their bicycles, skateboarding, or walking their dogs.
Our Maryland garbage truck accident lawyers have observed several causes of these accidents. The most common causes apply to all types of truck accidents in Maryland. However, the causes listed below are unique to garbage truck accidents. By learning these common causes, you can better anticipate driver negligence and better understand how to identify liability.
Garbage trucks are known for their frequent stops. They stop more frequently than even an Amazon driver, who will surely skip some houses on their route as not every home requires a delivery. There are a few reasons why these frequent stops lead to truck accidents. First, the stops create unpredictable traffic patterns. Much of driving is about anticipating action from other drivers. For example, when you are at a stop sign and see another vehicle approaching, you anticipate that the vehicle will follow the rules of the road and come to a complete stop, making it safe to pass through. Likewise, you anticipate driver’s actions on all roads, including residential streets. However, when a garbage truck is at work, it can be difficult to anticipate their next move. For example, the truck may take off and pull a U-turn before their coworker gets back onto it.
This may surprise you. However, if the driver performs a U-turn, they still have a legal duty to yield to traffic. Another reason frequent stops may lead to injuries requiring assistance from a Maryland garbage truck accident lawyer because you may be responsible for the accident. While it may seem unreasonable for a garbage truck to slam on its brakes at any random moment, that is the nature of their job. As a driver on the road, you always have a duty to avoid colliding with the vehicle in front of you. Of course, if they intentionally slam on their brakes, looking to cause an accident, you may escape liability. But putting aside that rare instance, you are almost always at fault for a rear-end collision.
A Maryland garbage truck accident lawyer can assist you if you are hurt due to improper truck loading, too. Garbage trucks carry heavy loads. They must be able to support those loads. If the truck is improperly maintained, it can affect balancing and handling. This can lead to a truck tipping over if there is a breach of this duty by the garbage truck employees or manufacturer. Additionally, if a garbage truck employee fails to load the truck with trash while on a job properly, and that trash gets into the road and damages your tires, you may have a property damage claim against the garbage truck company. Of course, if the slashed tire leads to a motor vehicle accident and injury, you should contact a Maryland garbage truck accident lawyer immediately for help with your next steps.
Driver fatigue can affect every driver, but it is particularly debilitating for a garbage truck driver. Trash truck drivers work long hours, which may cause some to be aggressive behind the wheel, speeding, turning around corners too closely, or even imbibing alcohol. Even a sober driver who is fatigued can make mistakes due to slower reaction times and judgment. When a driver is fatigued, mistakes happen, and injuries occur.
Before contacting a Maryland garbage truck accident lawyer, there are steps you should take to preserve your right to make a claim down the line and protect your health and well-being.
Your health should always be your top priority. While placing this at the top of the list will not necessarily help preserve your legal right to claim against the other driver, it must take precedence if your injury is severe enough. So, you should call paramedics to your location if necessary. If you believe your injuries are not severe, you can proceed with the remaining steps and get to a hospital or urgent care later.
Police are not always necessary for your garbage truck accident and will not always come for more minor accidents. However, if they do come, they generally do a great job of orchestrating a calm exchange of information between the parties. This is helpful because some parties do not wish to cooperate in these exchanges. They may say they are not at fault and thus are unwilling to comply with the mandatory exchange of information. Or, they may attempt to flee the scene entirely. By calling the police, you mitigate the likelihood of this happening.
This is the most crucial step you can take at the accident scene to build a robust case and maximize your compensation. We would like for you to get as much information as possible. This should include the name and address of the driver who hit you and any witnesses. You should also get the phone number of any witness. Additionally, you should get the garbage truck’s insurance information and the garbage truck’s make, model, and year. Even if the truck driver is unsure of this information, it should be listed on the truck’s registration.
After getting into an accident, you should avoid making any statements to the police or even the other party unless your Maryland garbage truck accident lawyer is present. You should only discuss pertinent information, such as name, contact information, and insurance information. You should not discuss liability or any physical injuries. A big reason to avoid speaking on physical injuries is adrenaline often blunts any physical pain at the accident scene. Thus, it usually does not set in until later.
Contact our office today for a free consultation and case evaluation at (202) 331-7227.