Garbage trucks are a routine part of life in Austin, traveling through neighborhoods, making frequent stops, and sharing the roads with drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. However, their size, substantial blind spots, and frequent stops can create dangerous situations. One mistake can cause a devastating accident.
If you were injured in a garbage truck accident in Austin, Texas, you may be entitled to compensation. Anderson Injury Lawyers has recovered more than $100 million for injured clients. Our Austin garbage truck accident lawyers can investigate your crash and identify responsible parties. Contact (512) 399-5000 today to schedule a free consultation.
Why Choose Anderson Injury Lawyers for Your Garbage Truck Accident Case in Austin?
Garbage truck accidents in Austin, TX, can become complicated very quickly. Before pursuing compensation, your lawyer may need to determine who owned the truck, who employed the driver, who maintained the vehicle, and whether a private company or government entity operated it. Anderson Injury Lawyers brings substantial experience to personal injury cases.
Clients trust our Austin truck accident lawyers because we offer:
- More Than $100 Million Recovered: Our firm has helped deserving injury victims recover more than $100 million in compensation for their injuries and losses.
- Extensive personal injury experience: Our firm has significant experience representing injured people throughout Texas in motor vehicle accidents and other personal injury cases.
- Detailed investigations: We can investigate garbage truck drivers, waste collection companies, maintenance records, electronic information, video footage, and other evidence.
- Experience dealing with insurers: Garbage truck accidents can involve multiple insurance policies and disagreements over liability and damages.
- Personal attention: Every garbage truck accident is different. Our firm will develop a case strategy based on the specific circumstances surrounding your accident, injuries, and losses.
Evidence can disappear quickly after a garbage truck accident. Getting a lawyer involved early can help preserve information that may eventually determine who was responsible. Reach out today to schedule a free consultation with an Austin personal injury attorney.
What Is My Garbage Truck Accident Case Worth in Texas?
There is no average settlement that can accurately predict the value of your garbage truck accident claim.
Imagine two drivers involved in similar garbage truck accidents. One suffers a broken arm, recovers, and returns to work within several weeks. Another suffers a traumatic brain injury and can no longer return to the same career. Similar accidents created dramatically different losses.
Factors that can affect the value of your Austin garbage truck accident claim include:
- The nature of your injuries
- Whether your injuries are permanent
- Past and future medical expenses
- Time missed from work
- Reduced earning ability
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional consequences
- Disability or impairment
- Disfigurement
- Property damage
- Available insurance coverage
- Evidence establishing liability
- Whether multiple parties share responsibility
Your Austin truck accident attorney can evaluate these losses and help you determine the potential value of your claim.
What Causes Most Garbage Truck Accidents in Austin?
Garbage trucks present unique safety challenges. They are large vehicles that frequently operate on narrow residential streets and in congested areas. Drivers repeatedly stop, pull toward curbs, maneuver around parked vehicles, and sometimes travel in reverse while workers and pedestrians are nearby.
Potential causes of garbage truck accidents include:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Driver fatigue
- Unsafe backing
- Failure to check blind spots
- Unsafe turns
- Failure to yield
- Following too closely
- Running a red light
- Inadequate driver training
- Poor vehicle maintenance
- Defective brakes or tires
- Driving while impaired
- Failing or improperly secured debris
Some crashes have more than one cause. For example, a poorly trained driver might make a dangerous backing maneuver while operating a truck with a defective backup camera. An investigation should consider the entire chain of events rather than stopping with the first obvious mistake.
What Kinds of Damages Are Available to Garbage Truck Accident Victims in Austin?
Texas personal injury victims may be able to recover compensation for economic and non-economic damages caused by someone else’s negligence. The damages available depend on the injuries, evidence, and circumstances of the accident.
Economic damages compensate for financial losses. A serious garbage truck accident claim could potentially include:
- Emergency medical treatment
- Hospital bills
- Surgery
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Prescription medications
- Future healthcare expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced future earning capacity
- Property damage
- Other out-of-pocket expenses
Not every consequence of a garbage truck accident has a specific dollar amount attached to it. Non-economic damages can compensate an injured person for the personal consequences of an injury. Depending on the circumstances, these losses can involve:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Physical impairment
- Disfigurement
- Loss of quality of life
- Loss of consortium
Punitive damages serve a different purpose but may also be available in select cases. Rather than compensating an injured person for a particular loss, they are intended to punish certain wrongful conduct and deter similar behavior from happening in the future.
These damages are not available simply because a garbage truck driver made an ordinary negligent mistake. Whether exemplary damages can be pursued depends on the defendant’s conduct and the evidence available in the case.
Contact an Austin Garbage Truck Accident Lawyer To Schedule a Free Consultation Today
A garbage truck accident in Austin, Texas, can involve more than a careless driver. There may be questions about vehicle maintenance, private waste companies, government entities, and insurance coverage related to the crash. You should not have to untangle those issues alone.
If you or a loved one has suffered injuries in a garbage truck accident, don’t face the aftermath by yourself. Contact Anderson Injury Lawyers for a free consultation with an Austin garbage truck accident attorney today.