The health of our planet and our communities depends on recycling trucks. But that doesn’t mean that recycling trucks don’t pose a risk to other vehicles on the road—recycling trucks are a major source of accidents on residential roads in Baltimore and other cities across the country.
In many car accidents caused by recycling trucks, it can be difficult to determine who was at fault for the accident. However, with the help of an experienced recycling truck accident attorney, you can figure out who should be held responsible for the accident and recover compensation for the damages you suffered.
Get in touch with an experienced Baltimore recycling truck accident attorney soon for more information about how you can recover compensation for the damages you suffered due to your accident with a recycling truck.
Call the Baltimore recycling truck accident attorneys from Rice, Murtha, & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 to schedule a free and confidential consultation today.
Causes of Recycling Truck Accidents in Baltimore
Determining who is at fault for a car accident involving a recycling truck can be difficult. Depending on the circumstances of the case, the individual driver may be responsible. In other cases, the trucking company or municipality that owns the truck can be held responsible.
Drivers of recycling trucks can be held responsible for car accidents if they act negligently. It’s important to note that recycling trucks are difficult to operate and are inherently accident-prone.
Since they make frequent, inconsistent stops to collect recycling, they make other cars susceptible to rear-ending each other.
And since recycling trucks are large, they have blind spots that can prevent drivers from seeing other things on the road. While the nature of trash trucks makes them susceptible to accidents, drivers can still be held responsible for an accident if they are distracted, fatigued, or otherwise negligent while operating a recycling truck; they can also be held responsible if they fail to obey traffic and safety laws or travel in the incorrect lane while collecting recycling.
The owner of the recycling truck—whether that is a private recycling company or the municipality collecting the recycling—has a responsibility to ensure that the truck is running properly at all times. If a recycling truck is improperly maintained, the party that owns the truck will be at fault for the accident.
Many different types of injuries can result from an accident involving a recycling truck. Rear-end accidents often happen near recycling trucks since they make frequent stops at inconsistent intervals—injuries from this type of accident include whiplash, broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, and damage to internal organs.
What to Do After an Accident with a Recycling Truck in Baltimore
If you are in a car accident with a recycling truck, it will help you win your case if you are prepared with information about what to do in the aftermath.
The first thing you should do immediately after a car accident with a recycling truck is to get out of the way of traffic. Pull your car over to the side of the road, if possible.
Then, make sure that you and everyone involved in the accident get medical attention immediately; get medical attention even if there don’t seem to be any injuries since some injuries have symptoms that take some time to appear. Failing to get medical attention if you are injured can greatly hurt your chances of winning your case.
The next thing you should do after an accident with a recycling truck is call the police, who will write a report of the accident. When you are filing a claim against the party that is at fault, this report will be useful. You should also speak with the driver of the recycling truck at this time.
Get their information, information about the trucking company or municipality they work for, and their insurance company. Don’t say anything about your injuries or whether you believe they were at fault since anything you say can be used against you when you are filing a lawsuit.
Next, collect evidence. Take photos of the entire scene of the accident, including weather conditions (e.g., a snowy or icy road), the damage to your property and the property surrounding the scene, factors that may have impacted visibility (such as fog or broken streetlights), and anything else that tells the story of what happened during the accident.
Speak with witnesses who were present and record or write down their description of what happened. Make sure you get their contact information so that you can speak with them at a later date.
When you get home safely, call your insurance company. Describe what happened, but don’t tell them who you believe is at fault. Then, call a Baltimore attorney for car accidents that involve recycling trucks. Finally, make sure that you keep documentation of the ways in which the accident affects your life.
If your injury requires long-term medical treatment, keep records of it. If your job is affected by your injury or you lose wages, keep records of that as well.
Baltimore Lawyer Available for Recycling Truck Accidents
The Baltimore recycling truck attorneys from Rice, Murtha, & Psoras are prepared to help you or a loved one fight for compensation following a car accident with a recycling truck. Get in touch with our attorneys today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case. Call (410) 694-7291 today.