PICKING UP GARBAGE CAN BE DANGEROUS; JACKSON TRASH COLLECTOR HIT BY CAR; THIRD IN YEAR

JACKSON, Mo. -- After about a month on the job, a 33-year-old Jackson city employee found out how dangerous trash collecting can be.

Chris Hill was working as a loader on the back of a municipal garbage truck Monday when a car hit him. The driver had been waiting in a line as he gathered trash bags near the intersection of Old Cape Road and Marilyn Drive.

The accident was the third in less than a year for Jackson trash collectors, said Jim Roach, public works director. One garbage man received bruises and took physical therapy, while the other avoided injury by pushing away from the oncoming car with his arm. Prior to the three accidents, no trash collectors had been injured in several years, Roach said.

"Folks are in a hurry and it leads to this," he said.

Hill had two pins and a plate placed in his left leg after Monday's accident. He was the only one of the three to suffer broken bones.

Here is Hill's version of events:

The garbage truck driver stopped the truck halfway up a hill on Old Cape Road at about 8:30 a.m. Monday so that Hill could go across the road to pick up several trash bags. The truck driver got out and stood on the road to stop cars while Hill worked. Hill thought the traffic was stopped.

But the driver struck Hill in his left side as he was walking back to the truck with garbage.

"She had to have gone around at least two cars," Hill said.

The car's front fender and windshield were damaged, and he thinks the car ran over his foot.

He won't be able to walk for six weeks while his leg heals.

But not everyone agrees with Hill's version. The car's driver has not received a ticket while police continue investigating the accident, said police chief Marvin Sides. Investigators received conflicting reports, he said.

"We're still trying to determine who hit whom," Sides said. "The lady claims that he ran out in front of her car."

Based on information received so far, Sides said a ticket probably will be issued for illegal passing.

More safety precautions

Jackson's trash collectors wear reflective safety vests, and trucks have flashing strobe lights to be more visible. Hill was wearing a vest on Monday, Roach said.

Additional safety precautions probably will be taken after ideas are discussed with police, Roach said. Trucks might alter their routes to make two trips down streets in high-traffic areas to avoid walking across lanes, he said.

No Cape Girardeau trash collector has been hit by a vehicle for at least five years, said Tim Grambling, assistant public works director.

But the danger is always present, said Mike Tripp, Cape Girardeau solid waste foreman. The threat is greatest between 7 and 8:30 a.m. as drivers travel to work or school, he said.

"They don't want to wait for us," said Tripp, who worked as a Cape Girardeau trash collector for over eight years. "We know if they're late, they're coming around."

Hill said he hopes his accident increases drivers' awareness.

"We can't stop everyone, but if they would just give us a little more time," he said.