When you are struck by a garbage truck in Greenville, it can turn a seemingly regular day into something you never expected. It is common for victims to suffer serious injuries, expensive damage, and a lot of confusion about what comes next. Your garbage truck accident lawyer in Greenville at Shelly Leeke Law Firm is here to help explain your options and walk you through each step.
Your Greenville truck accident lawyer has more than 10 years of combined experience helping people in tough situations like yours. Our firm has recovered over $6 million for clients across South Carolina. Reach out when you are ready to talk about what happened and learn more about how we can help.
Why Garbage Truck Collisions in Greenville Require Extra Caution
Garbage trucks are part of daily life in Greenville, but that does not mean they are easy to share the road with. These vehicles move slowly, make frequent stops, and often show up in places you do not expect. When a crash happens near a neighborhood or busy intersection, the damage can be serious.
How Residential Routes and Narrow Streets Increase Crash Risk
Garbage trucks spend most of their time in tight spaces. They pull up to curbs, reverse down narrow roads, and turn into driveways with limited room to maneuver. When drivers are rushing or not paying attention, it only takes a second for something to go wrong. Cars parked too close to the edge, children playing nearby, and blind corners all increase the risk.
Your Greenville garbage truck accident attorney with Shelly Leeke Law Firm has handled cases where these small details made a big difference. We look at things like the position of the truck, how much space it had, and whether the driver followed safety rules. These crashes often happen in the same spots every week, which means the driver should know what to expect.
Differences Between Garbage Trucks and Standard Commercial Vehicles
Garbage trucks are built differently from most other commercial vehicles on the road. They have large blind spots, loud machinery, and heavy equipment that moves while the truck is in motion. Most operate in stop-and-go patterns, which means they slow down, speed up, and back up far more often than a delivery van or freight truck.
These differences are important when determining what caused a crash. A driver may not have seen someone walking behind the truck. A mechanical arm could have swung out without warning. These vehicles are harder to handle and require more caution from the people operating them. When that caution is absent, it can lead to serious injuries that never should have happened.
Mechanical Failures and Equipment Malfunctions in Garbage Truck Crashes
Garbage trucks are built to handle tough jobs, but that does not mean they always work the way they should. Aging equipment, skipped inspections, and worn-out parts can all lead to serious accidents. When something mechanical fails, it is often the people around the truck who get hurt. Common mechanical issues that lead to crashes include:
- Faulty brakes
- Loose hoppers or unsecured containers
- Hydraulic arm failures during pickup or compaction
- Steering column malfunctions that affect the turning control
- Worn or uneven tires that reduce traction
- Suspension problems that cause uneven handling
- Failing backup alarms in residential zones
- Broken mirrors or damaged blind spot sensors
- Brake fluid or hydraulic leaks left unaddressed
- Cracked windshields or damaged lighting systems
- Engine stalls or mechanical shutdowns mid-route
Your Greenville personal injury lawyer can look at service logs, inspection records, and driver reports to see where things went wrong. Under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) 49 CFR 396, vehicles like garbage trucks are required to be kept in safe working conditions. When they are not, both the driver and the company responsible for maintaining the truck may be held liable.
Sanitation Schedules, Collection Delays, and Unsafe Driving Decisions
Garbage trucks in Greenville run on tight timelines. If a holiday, storm, or detour changes the schedule, drivers may feel pressure to catch up by rushing through routes or skipping basic safety checks. Your Greenville car accident lawyer knows how quickly these changes can lead to unsafe decisions in residential neighborhoods.
Early Morning Operations and Low Visibility Conditions
Many garbage trucks hit the road before the sun comes up. Drivers are navigating dark streets, trying to avoid parked cars and spot pedestrians or cyclists in limited light. Street lamps and driveway lighting are not always enough to keep everyone visible.
When people are walking dogs, jogging, or biking early in the morning, they may not expect a truck to be reversing or stopping mid-block. The mix of poor lighting and early-hour distractions can lead to dangerous close calls or serious crashes.
Company Pressure to Stay on Schedule Despite Hazards
Drivers are expected to finish their routes on time, even when conditions make that hard to do. When a schedule falls behind, some drivers may feel like they need to rush. That can lead to distracted driving, skipping rearview checks, or rolling through stop signs to make up time.
These kinds of choices can be considered reckless under S.C. Code § 56-5-2920, especially when a driver puts others at risk in a residential area. These moments can also affect how you go about closing your personal injury case. If pressure from the company leads to unsafe decisions, that may change how fault is determined and how the case is handled.
Your Greenville Garbage Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help You Move Forward
You should not have to deal with the fallout of a garbage truck accident on your own. Your garbage truck accident attorney in Greenville from Shelly Leeke Law Firm will listen, explain your options, and help you figure out what makes sense next.
When you are ready, you can contact us to talk it through with a team that has been standing up for Greenville families hurt by unsafe commercial vehicles for years.
