Garbage trucks perform a necessary service in our towns and cities, but these trucks can also be a menace on the roads. Garbage trucks frequently ignore traffic rules, suddenly stopping and pulling out into traffic without the proper signals or caution that other drivers are expected to use. On narrow streets and around blind corners, it may be impossible to see or hear a garbage truck stopped in the middle of the road, which can lead to serious car accidents.
If you or a loved one was injured in an accident with a garbage truck, contact the Hialeah garbage truck accident attorneys at Prosper Shaked Accident Injury Attorneys PA today. Prosper Shaked represents injured victims in car and truck accidents and fights to get them the financial compensation they need for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. To schedule a free legal consultation on your case, contact our law offices today at (305) 694-2676.
Common Injuries from Garbage Truck Accidents
Garbage trucks often weigh upwards of 33,000 when they are empty, and a full truck at the end of its route can hold an additional 9 tons of garbage. This combined weight can be difficult to slow down and maneuver in emergency circumstances, especially if the driver is not paying attention to pedestrians and traffic on the roadway. Because of the huge size of these trucks, many garbage truck drivers have difficulty seeing from the driver’s seat and could potentially cause very serious accidents on the road.
Garbage trucks also include larger tractor-trailer trucks used to transport trash between dumps and out of metropolitan areas. These trucks are similar to 18-wheelers, can carry up to 80,000 pounds, and are much longer and larger, increasing the risks of driving near these vehicles.
When you are involved in an accident with a truck this big and heavy, you run an increased risk of serious injuries. Especially if you were on foot, riding a bike, or riding a motorcycle when you were hit by a garbage truck, you could face potentially life-threatening injuries.
Some of the most serious injuries involved in these kinds of accidents are brain trauma, spinal cord injuries, and amputations. Large trucks can crush smaller vehicles, reducing the effectiveness of safety features like airbags, crumple zones, and protective walls and pillars in your car. Strong blows to the head can cause traumatic brain injury, which can be fatal or cause life-altering injuries. Blows to the back or neck can cause persistent pain even for minor injuries, and more severe injury can result in paralysis. Crushing damage to your car can pin your arms or legs, potentially causing traumatic amputation or requiring hospital amputation to manage serious injuries.
Other more mundane injuries can include broken bones, cuts, scrapes, bruising, and soft tissue damage. Many of these injuries are not “minor” in any sense and can still cause pervasive damage and ongoing pain, suffering, and medical expenses.
Seeking Financial Compensation for Garbage Truck Accidents
Garbage trucks are commercial vehicles, and as such, their drivers and garbage companies must have auto insurance and other liability insurance to cover injuries they cause in the normal course of business. However, the insurance companies involved might offer low compensation that fails to cover the full value of the medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering you faced from your injuries. Instead, you may need to file your case in court to seek complete compensation for garbage truck accident injuries.
The damages you can claim in a lawsuit can include any financial harms and other consequences you face because of the accident. If it were not for the negligence of the garbage truck driver that caused your crash, you would never have faced the medical bills to treat your injuries, you would never have missed work because of your injuries, and you would never have faced the pain and suffering stemming from the accident. These are the three most common types of compensation you can claim in a lawsuit, but you can also claim damages for any other harms you faced in the crash, such as damage to your vehicle.
If a loved one was killed in a garbage truck accident, you may also claim damages for your loss. Their death may have been accompanied by end-of-life medical care and pain and suffering, which should be compensated. Moreover, you will face expenses for funeral and burial costs and damages for the death, loss of companionship, lost wages, lost inheritances, and other harms related to their wrongful death. Claiming compensation for these damages can help continue to support your family after a death in a garbage truck accident.
Hialeah Garbage Truck Accident Lawyers Offering Free Legal Consultations
If you were involved in a garbage truck accident in South Florida or a member of your family was killed in a garbage truck accident, contact Prosper Shaked Accident Injury Attorneys PA to discuss filing a lawsuit against the responsible parties. Hialeah garbage truck accident lawyer Prosper Shaked can help you file your lawsuit and seek compensation for the damages you faced after a serious garbage truck accident. To schedule a free legal consultation, contact our law offices today at (305) 694-2676.