Man Dies After Colliding With a Garbage Truck in Lycoming County, PA

A fatal crash occurred in the morning hours of November 29 when a vehicle collided with a garbage truck on U.S. Highway 15 in Clinton Township, Lycoming County. According to news reports, the incident took place around 5:30 a.m. just south of the McNett Road intersection, as the garbage truck was attempting to perform a U-turn on the southbound lanes.

James Haddix, the driver who struck the garbage truck, was killed in the collision. State police investigators later determined that Haddix was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. The two occupants of the garbage truck escaped without injury.

The accident forced authorities to close Route 15 for approximately three and a half hours. With a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour in that section, the highway was reopened to traffic at 9 a.m. after police completed their initial investigation and cleared the scene.

The Dangers of a Garbage Truck Accident

Garbage truck accidents pose particularly severe risks to other motorists due to several factors. The average garbage truck weighs between 40,000 to 64,000 pounds when fully loaded, making it nearly 20 times heavier than a typical passenger vehicle. This extreme weight disparity means that even at relatively low speeds, impacts with garbage trucks can be catastrophic for occupants of smaller vehicles.

Additionally, garbage trucks have high ground clearance and rigid construction, which can result in smaller vehicles sliding underneath during collisions – a dangerous scenario known as an underride accident. Their size also creates significant blind spots for both the truck drivers and other motorists, particularly during maneuvers such as U-turns.

Safety experts recommend that drivers maintain extra distance when following or passing garbage trucks and remain particularly vigilant during early morning hours when these vehicles are most active. The pre-dawn darkness and potential fatigue among drivers during these hours can increase accident risks.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that accidents involving garbage trucks are more likely to result in fatalities compared to crashes with other types of vehicles, emphasizing the critical importance of wearing seatbelts and practicing defensive driving when sharing the road with these essential service vehicles.

If you get into an accident with a garbage truck, there is help. Contact a Williamsport truck accident attorney to learn your next steps.

Note: Our team of writers uses secondary sources to produce this post, including local and state media and news sources, regional and state police incident reports, social media platforms, and eyewitness accounts about serious accidents that take place in Pennsylvania. For that reason, if you find any information that is not correct, be sure to contact Munley Law as soon as possible so that we can update the post with the most exact information available. A post will be removed upon request. All information in this post is informational and not intended to be considered legal or medical advice. This post is not a solicitation for business.