City Worker Dies in Tragic Garbage Truck Incident in Hendersonville. North Carolina

HENDERSONVILLE, NC- Wlos.com writes that a sanitation worker in Hendersonville was struck by a garbage truck late last week. The incident occurred in the morning at the intersection of Shadywood Lane and Pineland Road.*

Residents near the site reported hearing yelling outside and believing that the sounds were just children playing. According to officials, a garbage truck had actually run over a sanitation worker killing the man at the scene. The identity of the victim has not yet been released at this time. 

Waste management has been considered a fairly dangerous profession for many years. The workers are required to lift heavy objects and handle the trucks, which have heavy machinery attached and can create risks to motorists. The dangers are declining as the industry has placed a greater emphasis on keeping its workers safe. Many of the trucks are now automatic rear-loading vehicles that require less manual labor and cut down on the chance of workers being hurt while loading the trucks. Older models required the workers to get on and off the vehicles near traffic. Newer trucks reduce the time workers spend on the road. 

For the last seven years, the industry has seen declines in its numbers of workplace injuries. However, some say that the progress will not be complete until these accidents are eliminated completely. Additionally, the number of fatal incidents has not declined and remains steady at about 40.7 deaths for every 100,000 workers. Education efforts are also being used to remind drivers of the need to exercise caution around these trucks. Safety advocates say motorists approaching waste management vehicles should slow down to reduce the risk of striking a worker. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:https://wlos.com/amp/news/local/fatal-trash-truck-pedestrian-crash-henderson-county

https://www.waste360.com/Waste_Safety/safety_numbers_nswma