SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A worker with the Department of Public Works in San Francisco was killed on Thursday, August 28, after an accident with a dump truck. Sources say that Alvin Andrews, 52, was killed at about 9:00 a.m. that morning when a dump truck driven by one of his co-workers accidentally ran over him.
This happened along Quint Street, where Andrews and his crew were picking up trash. Police said that as Andrews was working, a DPW garbage truck rolled over him, leaving him dead at the scene.
It’s not clear what really happened in the accident, but later reports confirmed that the garbage truck driver here had only been working with the DPW since July – and was working as a temporary employee.
The DPW mentioned that their drivers are expected to drive slowly and use an “audible alarm.”
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
There’s not really a lot of detail being provided here, but I think it’s pretty clear that this was a terrible accident. While I’m sure that the garbage truck driver didn’t mean any harm, the fact remains that he just might not have been paying enough attention that morning. Regardless of how the accident happened, I would imagine that California’s workers’ compensation laws will dictate how the Department of Public Works handles this accident. Workers’ compensation is a little different in every state, but in general, it’s like our Social Security system: employers pay money into it and when the employee qualifies, they get the benefits. In the case of a work-related accident, a worker qualifies (or his family qualifies) when an injurious or fatal accident occurs on the job. However, the downside to getting workers’ comp benefits is that you can’t file lawsuits – unless the person who caused the accident worked for a different company.
I have pretty strong feelings about this because I think workers need the right to file lawsuits against their employers. When someone gets into a car accident with you, they aren’t given a “get-out-of-jail-free” car if they happen to be your employer, right? So why is it like that when it comes to work-related accidents?
–Grossman Law Offices
Alvin was my brother since I can remember. Our moms were the best of friends and I am truly sad by what has transpired!