A Recology garbage truck fatally struck a pedestrian in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District last Friday. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the accident happened around 7:45 a.m. at the intersection of Antonio Street and Jones Street.
Video footage of this tragic accident shows that the Recology garbage truck backed over the pedestrian.
Because garbage trucks are large, heavy vehicles which make wide turns, they have many blind spots and are slower to brake. If operated negligently, these large trucks can cause substantially more damage and injuries than a passenger car.
A commercial garbage truck operator must therefore possess special skill and a commercial driver’s license.
Operators have a heightened duty to be safe and must follow the rules of the road applicable to professional drivers.
The truck accident personal injury and wrongful death lawyers at Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger have successfully handled many personal injury and wrongful death cases against local garbage truck operators including Recology and its sister companies (Sunset Scavenger and Golden Gate Recycling).
In the past few months, the firm has settled a lawsuit arising out of the death of a child who was struck while riding his bicycle. The firm is currently representing the parents of a young man who was killed when a Recology truck ran over him as he bicycled through the Mission District as well as a young girl and her grandmother who were hit while pedestrians in a San Francisco crosswalk.
The lawyers at Walkup Melodia are thus familiar with how Recology trains its drivers and their accident history.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian or traffic accident, contact Walkup Melodia online or call our attorneys at 415-981-7210 .