A San Diego woman is suing a national trash and recycling waste management company after she was hit by one of the company truck’s metal tines.
Surveillance video from the incident that took place in February 2021 shows the woman, Deanna Beck, walking through the parking garage of an apartment complex, when the driver of a Waste Management Services truck backed up and hit Beck with the truck’s metal tines, resulting in her falling to the ground.
Beck was rushed to a nearby hospital to be treated for major neck injuries and trauma to the brain. She was later diagnosed with dysautonomia, which causes issues with the autonomic nervous system, as a result of the incident.
According to Beck’s attorneys, John Gomez and Corey Garrard, the driver of the truck was on his phone when he reversed and hit Beck and had been penalized several times before for being on his phone while operating a vehicle.
“The defendant of the waste management vehicle being driven in this case was on his phone at the time he impaled Deanna Beck,” said Attorney Garrard during a press conference on Monday. ”That driver had been written up multiple times in the past for operating waste management vehicles while on his phone which is in direct contravention to the rules of that company.”
Since the incident, Beck has had neck surgery and struggled with post-concussive syndrome and memory loss.
“We look forward to proving at trial how that has dramatically changed her life,” said Attorney Garrard.
The lawsuit notes that Beck is suing for personal injury and suffered wage loss, hospital and medical expenses, general damage, and loss of earning capacity.
“The point of this press conference and the point of this lawsuit is to protect all San Diegans from preventable incidents like this,” Attorney Gomez said.
The trial date is set for October this year.
