Lake Highlands, TX — A man was injured in an accident involving a passenger vehicle and a garbage truck that occurred on Wednesday November 25 around 6:20 a.m. on Northwest Highway near Skillman Street.
According to police, the truck driver hit the side of a BMW while trying to make a left-hand turn into a parking lot. The collision caused the BMW to catch fire, which onlookers kept under control with fire extinguishers until the fire department arrived.
The driver was extricated from the vehicle, and taken to Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas. The driver of the garbage truck was also injured. Police are still investigating the accident.
Map of the Accident
Commentary:
All vehicles should exercise precaution out on the road, but large commercial vehicles like garbage trucks should be extra careful, because when they are involved in accidents, the results are much more disastrous. In this accident, it appears that the garbage truck made a left-hand turn in front of oncoming traffic. While it isn’t clear if it was entirely the garbage truck driver’s fault (we don’t know if the car was speeding, didn’t have its headlights on, etc.), in the event that the driver was negligent, there could be more than one responsible party.
Companies that hire employees to drive large commercial vehicles are also responsible if their drivers cause accidents that result in injury or death. It is the job of these companies to make sure their employees have safe driving records and are properly trained and licensed. Again, I’m not placing the blame on the driver in this accident, but rather stressing that it’s important to investigate accidents like these before blaming the victim.
—Grossman Law Offices