Texas Garbage Truck Driver Pleads Guilty in Accident

Texas truck accident lawyers frequently come across cases where malfunctioning parts of the truck contributed to an accident. Not so frequent however are cases where a trucker blames the company for a malfunctioning part to claw his way out of a sticky situation. We came across this story in The Courier of Montgomery County in which a garbage truck driver, who blamed malfunctioning brakes for a fatal accident in 2008, has now pleaded guilty.

On September 25^th 2008, the truck driver JR "Jerry" Cruikshank Jr. was driving an Enviro-Waste Systems garbage truck in North County when the truck flipped over. Cruikshank's co-worker Michael Anthony Brown was crushed and killed in the rollover accident. Cruikshank blamed faulty brakes on his truck, which he said malfunctioned when he attempted to slow down the truck. Except in this case, Cruikshank appears to have lied about the brakes.

Those lies were revealed in an investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which found that there was no problem with the brakes. An investigation of the truck history also showed that the vehicle had been through all commercial vehicle inspections.  In short, a truck malfunction had nothing to do with the accident.  The DPS found Cruickshank's negligent driving and excessive speeds to be the cause of the crash, and criminal charges were filed against him. 

As Texas truck accident attorneys we also represent injured truckers in accidents caused by defective truck components, dangerous roads, negligent motorists and other causes. Most truckers we know are hard working, conscientious people who have a high regard for safety. That's why it's unfortunate when we come across like drivers like Cruickshank who are not only negligent, but also fail to accept responsibility for their negligence.

The Texas trucking accident attorneys at Schechter McElwee Shaffer & Harris represent injured victims of truck accidents in and around the state of Texas.  For more information about our free legal consultations, please email us at info@smslegal.com or call (800) 282-2122.  Contact us at info@smslegal.com today!