Accidents involving city vehicles occur all the time, and in a city as large and densely populated as Los Angeles, they are sometimes hard to avoid. Civilians have to take care to avoid potentially dangerous interactions with various types of vehicles lest they become involved in a car crash. For example, many drivers will speed around buses that are constantly making roadside stops, while others will try to pass garbage trucks and street sweepers without being able to see around them. This can lead to accidents with the city vehicles or other oncoming drivers. If you have been involved in a car crash with a street sweeper, you may be able to earn compensation for any damages resulting from the accident. Our experienced lawyers at the top-rated Normandie Law Firm make sure to give claims against city vehicles our fullest attention and do our best to bring our clients the compensation they deserve. Our clients often call us with questions about street sweeper accidents and the details of the legal process involving those claims. Examples of other such questions include:
- Can I sue the city if a street sweeper hit me?
- What do I do if I’m hit by a street cleaning truck?
- I need a street sweeper accident attorney. Who can I call?
Street Sweeper Information
Street sweepers are large vehicles with cleaning apparatuses attached to their undersides. The brooms sweep debris, trash, and unsavory materials up into the back container and keep the streets relatively clean. It is usually a requirement that the side of the street on which cleaning is supposed to occur is empty, as the sweeper cannot clean a spot if it is too far away.
Sweeping vehicles are usually operated by people who have had some form of training in order to drive them. It is not easy to merely hop in a street sweeper and clean up the neighborhood; they are unwieldy and can be troublesome to operate if you are ill-prepared. Cities tend to employee those who have passed some kind of training or have a certificate or certified driver’s license that says they are eligible.
Much like trucks, street sweepers have more blind spots than cars do, and it may be difficult to get around them; they may assume the way ahead is safe and not be aware a small car is located right next to them. Accidents like this are not uncommon, and individuals in cars must practice very cognizant driving so as not to be in the path of danger when driving around street sweepers.
There are numerous reasons you may want to hire a qualified attorney who has experience in street cleaning truck accidents, especially in the case of an injury.
Street Sweeper Accidents
Most car accidents happen as a result of negligence. Civilian drivers are guilty of many actions that cause them to get into crashes; careful driving is necessary, but sometimes you can be as careful as you want – only for another driver to be at fault and crash into you.
Street sweeper drivers have similar causes for accidents as civilians do, however. They have days of fatigue too, and sometimes they get distracted. Some common causes of street sweeper accidents include:
- Fatigue: Due to the different hours street sweepers work, they may show up to work tired. Many street sweeping times are in the morning, but the next day may feature noon sweeping. Thus, this changing schedule can throw off the sleeping patterns of drivers. As a result, they may show up to work very fatigued and exhausted, which can impair their motor skills, reaction time, and decision-making abilities, leading to car accidents.
- Careless Driving: Some drivers are careless in their driving. They may routinely speed, blow through stop signs, run yellow and red lights, ignore the right of way laws, turn without using their blinkers, or tailgate. All of these actions are examples of reckless driving, and even if other drivers are careful and paying attention, these acts could be enough to cause devastating crashes.
- Distraction: Smartphones are in every hand nowadays, and some street sweeper operators use them while driving to look up directions or communicate with their supervisors. However, they may also be using them for personal reasons; this level of distraction can cause drivers to get into accidents.
- Improper Training: Driving a street sweeper is not a simple task. You can operate the external parts while driving. You are also in a large vehicle with numerous blind spots. Without proper training, a driver won’t be able to competently operate the vehicle while on the road.
If you are involved in an accident and have been injured by a street cleaning truck, you should immediately seek medical assistance. The size of the truck can cause extensive damages, including:
- Broken bones
- Sprains and dislocations
- Traumatic brain injury
- Neck and back damage
- Internal bleeding and organ damage
- Paralysis
These injuries can be debilitating and lower your quality of life. You should not be held responsible for any expenses coming from these injuries if you were not responsible for the accident. A skilled attorney with expertise in street sweeper accident injury lawsuits can assist you in filing a claim against the liable party.
Personal Injury Claim Information
When filing a personal injury claim, you must be able to show that the driver owed you a care of duty which was breached, resulting in an accident that caused you physical harm. As long as all four of these points of negligence are reached, you can file a claim that will not get immediately dismissed. However, there are still other necessary pieces of information to adhere to; notably, the statute of limitations.
In the state of California, you have up to 2 years to file a personal injury claim against a responsible party to seek monetary compensation. If you attempt to go to court past that amount of time, your claim will most likely be thrown out. The time limit is in place to preserve evidence and ensure that the situation is handled speedily and efficiently and not drawn out, especially after some years, during which many pieces of evidence can go missing and eyewitnesses can forget what happened.
However, if you are filing a claim against a government agency – the Department of Public Works, for instance – you have 6 months to file a claim through the agency itself. Extenuating circumstances can extend this rule, as in the case of the department refusing to acknowledge your claim was filed. An accomplished lawyer experienced in street sweeper accident cases can help you determine the statute of limitations for your claim.
After filing a personal injury claim, you can seek damages for:
- Past and future medical bills, including surgery, hospitalization, medication, physical therapy, and more.
- Past and future lost wages due to missed time at work from injuries or the post-operative recovery process.
- Property damage, including belongings and personal items in your car as well as damage to the vehicle itself.
- Pain and suffering, which constitutes damages that have no dollar sign; you can earn restitution for fear, PTSD, anxiety, mental scarring, and psychological damage.
- Punitive damages, which are given out in the event of gross negligence or intentional damage. These additional monetary punishments are doled out to replace jail time, but they are difficult to win, and only an experienced attorney will be able to net them for your settlement.
Normandie Law Firm’s Personal Injury Attorneys
If you are searching for an experienced law firm with a top team of Los Angeles attorneys who will earn you the maximum settlement for your case, Normandie Law Firm is the place for you. Our expert attorneys with experience in auto accident cases can help you sue the street sweeper or driver or the city he works for if you have been struck by a street cleaning vehicle.
FREE LEGAL CONSULTATION: Call us today for a free legal consultation on your case. You can ask us any questions you want, and we will be happy to answer them. We will discuss your claim and what we believe you can earn in a settlement.
All of our clients are given zero fee guarantees on their cases – we do not take any payment from the pockets of our clients. Our fees come from the settlement itself, and we only receive them if we win. If we lose, you don’t owe us a cent.
To speak with an attorney with experience handling street sweeper accident claims about filing a personal injury lawsuit for a street sweeper accident, contact Normandie Law Firm today.
