Garbage Truck Accident Lawyer in New Jersey

If you’re on this page because your life has been affected by a garbage truck accident, you’ve come to the right place. The truck accident lawyers at Davis, Saperstein, and Salomon have over 4 decades of experience in injury claims in New Jersey including truck accidents and have won over $1 billion.

We’re based in New Jersey and have physical offices in Teaneck, Colonia, Pennington, and New York.

Our firm recently won a case involving a dump truck in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Our client was driving North on Cassville Road when she was forced off-course into a tree by a garbage truck. Our lawyers filed suit in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County, and won our client $450,000.

Garbage trucks and garbage truck drivers play a vital role in our society. Public cleanliness, health, sanitation, and waste removal depend on the services provided by sanitation departments across New Jersey. As much as we rely on garbage truck drivers to keep our streets clean, we also trust that they will operate their vehicles with care and caution. The lives of pedestrians, cyclists, and neighborhood drivers depend on it.

Our New Jersey garbage truck accident lawyers have more than 40 years of experience helping victims of catastrophic accidents. Since there are tight deadlines involved in municipal claims, it’s best to take action sooner rather than later.

Why Choose Our New Jersey Dump Truck Accident Attorneys?

We have the experience, skills, and resources to handle accidents involving New Jersey garbage trucks. We’re proud to say that more than 35,000 individuals and families have received a favorable verdict or settlement to help them following a serious accident and injury. In total, we’ve helped clients collect over $1 billion in results since our firm opened in 1981.

Here are some of our truck accident settlements and verdicts.

It can seem challenging to choose between a smaller boutique firm and a larger, more experienced firm. With Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., you get the best of both worlds. We offer the personalized care and attention of a smaller firm, ensuring that you are in constant communication about the status of your case.

We also have the resources of a large firm. We have over 100 employees, including 25 personal injury attorneys, to strengthen your case. Of those attorneys, 12 are certified in civil trial law, and they can use their courtroom experience to advocate for you if your case goes to trial.

With our winning track record of success, years of experience, and extensive resources, you can trust us to fight aggressively for the results you deserve.

Contact us today if you’re ready to get started. We’re happy to meet in person or virtually via FaceTime or Zoom. We offer translation services in Spanish, Russian, Polish, Korean, and many other languages, in case English is not your preferred language. There’s no charge for the consultation, and we only get paid if we recover money for you.

Here’s a brief look into our extensive approach to commercial accidents, inlcuding truck accidents:

Common Causes of Garbage Truck Accidents

Garbage trucks are big, heavy, and unwieldy. They often have to negotiate tight corners in residential areas where people are out walking, riding their bikes, or commuting to work. These dynamics commonly lead to accidents caused by:

The truck driver’s failure to keep a proper lookout when reversing
Debris falling off the truck
Other vehicles attempting to pass the truck
Fatigued or inexperienced truck drivers
Equipment malfunction

What To Do After a Garbage Truck Crash

If you were recently involved in a garbage truck accident in New Jersey, you’re likely in pain and unsure of what to do next. Taking the following steps can help you protect not just yourself, but also the strength of your personal injury claim against the responsible parties.

Gather Evidence

Your ability to recover compensation for what you’ve suffered depends on showing both the cause of the accident and its consequences on your well-being. While an experienced attorney can handle most of this on your behalf, you can help them out by doing a bit of work upfront.

Write down your recollection of what happened while your memory is still fresh. Be sure to note any outside factors that might have contributed to the crash, like tree branches that could have obstructed the driver’s view. If there were any eyewitnesses to the accident, you should mention that as well.

Seek Follow-Up Treatment

Not all accident injuries are immediately apparent, so it’s best to see your primary care physician or a medical provider at an urgent care facility. Tell them what happened so they know to look for internal trauma and other hidden injuries you may not yet be aware of. Seeking follow-up treatment may prevent further injury or worsening of a latent condition. Seeking medical attention demonstrates the severity of your injuries and shows that you have taken action to address them.

Keep a File

Be sure to collect and keep all documentation related to the accident. This may include medical records and bills, witness statements and contact information, insurance information, the police report, and copies of any photographs you took at the accident scene. This file may contain critical evidence and will assist your attorney when they begin their investigation of the accident.

Contact a Garbage Truck Accident Lawyer

You should retain an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon after the accident as possible. That way, you can rest assured that a strong legal advocate is handling every aspect of your case, from the initial investigation to collecting medical records upon your authorization to negotiating with the insurance companies. Your attorney will also keep track of any pertinent filing deadlines so you do not waive your right to pursue your case in court.

Liability in Garbage Truck Accident Claims in New Jersey

Identifying who might be liable for the garbage truck crash and your injuries can be a complicated process. However, an experienced truck accident lawyer can conduct the necessary investigation to determine who may be held accountable for the accident. That might include any or several of the following:

The truck driver – The garbage truck driver is often the most immediately at-fault party, but in most cases, their liability is assumed by the company they work for.
The waste removal company – The company may be liable for the truck driver’s on-the-job actions under the legal concept of respondeat superior. It may be further liable if its own negligence contributed to the crash, such as failing to provide sufficient training to the driver or conduct drug tests. The company could also be responsible if they failed to maintain the truck properly, and some dysfunction or equipment failure contributed to the accident.
The local government or municipality that hired the waste removal company – Trash collection could be the duty of a local government or handled by a private company. There are additional challenges involved in suing a municipality, which is another reason why it’s a good idea to contact a garbage truck accident attorney as soon as possible. That way, you do not inadvertently waive your cause of action against the governmental entity by waiting too long to give notice of your claim.
The garbage truck manufacturer – If some component of the truck malfunctions or fails and causes an accident, the manufacturer may be held accountable in part for the injuries and losses sustained in the collision.

Can I Sue the City After an Accident with a Garbage Truck?

You can sue a New Jersey city after a trash truck accident if it was somehow responsible for the crash, subject to time limitations. The New Jersey Tort Claims Act has additional requirements before you can file a lawsuit. Because the city is a governmental entity, you must notify it of the accident and your injuries within 90 days of the accident through a Notice of Tort Claim. Failure to comply with this deadline will likely result in your claim against the New Jersey city being denied. This short timeline for pursuing a claim against the city highlights the importance of retaining an attorney as soon as possible after the accident.

Statute of Limitations for Garbage Truck Accident Claims in New Jersey

If you were injured in a garbage truck crash in New Jersey, the state’s statute of limitations on personal injury claims gives you two years from the date of the accident to file your lawsuit. If you fail to meet this deadline and file your lawsuit after the two-year limit, a judge will likely dismiss your case, and you will be unable to pursue compensation in court.

Although two years may seem more than enough time to pursue compensation, preparing a robust personal injury case takes time. For this reason, it is critical to contact an attorney with experience handling accidents involving garbage trucks as soon as possible.

By getting legal representation from the start, you give your lawyer a chance to speak to any witnesses on your behalf while the facts and circumstances of the accident are fresh in their minds. They will also have more time to recover physical evidence that might otherwise go missing or be destroyed, helping them build a stronger case. Contact us today to get started with an experienced truck accident attorney sooner rather than later.

Damages Awarded in New Jersey Garbage Truck Accident Lawsuits

The amount of money you can recover after a dump truck accident depends on the severity of your injuries and financial losses. That said, you could be eligible for money to pay for your:

Past and future medical expenses
Lost wages
Loss of future earning capacity
Pain and suffering
Mental distress
Loss of consortium

A skilled garbage truck accident lawyer from Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. can review your case to identify all your possible sources of compensation, calculate the full value of your expenses and losses, and demand the full amount you are owed from any liable parties.

Talk to an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer Today

At Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., we’ve been helping individuals in positions like yours for over 40 years, recovering more than $1 billion on their behalf during that time. We have considerable resources to put at your disposal, including more than 25 personal injury lawyers on staff to support your case. We’re ready to meet with you at any of our New Jersey offices or remotely over FaceTime or Zoom if that’s more convenient. Not only is our initial consultation free, but we won’t charge you a fee unless we secure compensation for you.