According to authorities, a New Orleans garbage truck driver allegedly caused a fatal accident on Nov. 3 that sent an attenuator truck careening into the lake on Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Attenuator trucks, also known as crash trucks, are designed to absorb impacts in order to protect working crews. The attenuator truck involved in the accident was being driven by a 57-year-old man from New Orleans who apparently drowned. His body was found around 5 p.m.
At the time of the accident, the attenuator truck was escorting road construction workers traveling in a convoy on the Causeway. The driver was driving at the rear of the workers. The garbage truck driver allegedly rear-ended the truck. Following that collision, the driver lost control, continuing to collide with a Causeway Police cruiser before overturning on its side.
The garbage truck was crumpled, and its driver required extrication to be able to get out of the vehicle. Police described his demeanor as distraught. He reportedly told law enforcement authorities that a loose aerosol can had rolled under his brake pedal while he was driving, preventing him from braking as he approached the work convoy. Law enforcement indicated that he may be charged for his role in the fatal collision.
Too often, fatalities can result from the negligence of other drivers. When those at fault have a commercial driver’s license, both the drivers as well as their employers may be held liable. The families of those killed can try to recover damages by filing civil wrongful death lawsuits against the driver and his or her employer. Families may benefit by consulting with a personal injury attorney. An attorney can help families recover compensation for all economic and noneconomic losses that they suffered.
Source: Daily Journal , “Bridge officials: Garbage truck driver blamed fatal crash on rolling aerosol can”, November 05, 2014
