If you were injured in a garbage truck accident in Florida, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Continue reading and reach out to our firm to our skilled Panama City auto accident attorneys today to discuss your options.

What are the different types of garbage trucks?

Garbage trucks are large and heavy, but they are also made up of different moving parts and typically carry hazardous materials. There are a number of different kinds of garbage trucks that differ in size, weight capacity, equipment, and function. Even at low speeds, a garbage truck could fatally hurt a person. There are four major kinds of garbage trucks that are used to collect trash across the United States, including the following:

  • Front-loader trucks: This type of truck has a hydraulically held forklift on the front of the vehicle that lifts and dumps the contents of the dumpster into the hopper. It is then packed into the rear of the truck.
  • Rear-loader trucks: This kind of truck has a large space at the rear of the truck. The garbage collector can stand on the back of the truck to easily jump off to gather and empty the contents of receptacles into the truck.
  • Side-loader trucks: This kind of truck can be packed either manually or with the use of an automatic robotic arm. The robotic arm picks up trash from the side of the vehicle and empties the contents into the truck.
  • Roll-off garbage trucks: This type of truck carries a roll-off container, which can be dropped off, loaded, and then picked up to empty the contents at a dump or recycling center. Roll-off garbage trucks are mainly used for large-scale commercial waste removals including construction and demolition sites.

How do garbage truck accidents occur?

There are several different ways that garbage truck accidents can happen. The drivers using heavy machinery are generally within close proximity to other vehicles and pedestrians. Because of the truck’s large size, it may have many blind spots that could block the driver’s view. This could result in crashing with another vehicle, cyclist, or pedestrian. This can be extremely dangerous when operating the truck on narrow and densely populated streets.

Even if speed is not a concern, garbage trucks can still cause horrible and even fatal injuries. Common causes of garbage truck accidents may include:

  • Driving while fatigued
  • Falling objects from the truck
  • Failure to check blind spots
  • Driving while speeding
  • Dumping waste that hits another vehicle or person
  • Distracted driving
  • Driving in the wrong lane
    Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Failure to follow traffic rules or signals
  • Failure to yield the right-of-way
  • Inadequate vehicle maintenance
  • Hazardous waste spill
  • Rear-end collision
  • Lack of training

Contact our experienced Florida firm

Our firm proudly handles injury claims, insurance disputes, hurricane claims, fire loss claims, commercial litigation, and construction law matters. To discuss your case with our experienced Panama City personal injury attorneys, contact Manuel & Thompson, P.A. today.