Trash collector killed amid plan to cut risks
‘Move over’ bill signed into law on day worker is pinned against truck.
A Rumpke MIDDLETOWN — driver was killed Monday morning with a bill meant to reduce the risks of operating waste collection vehicles nearly a law.
A measure to require drivers to “move over” when passing trash trucks with flashing lights was approved by the Ohio House last month by an 84-0 vote.
Senate Bill 127 would require drivers to proceed with caution and change to a lane away from a waste collection vehicle if traveling on a roadway with multiple lanes in the same direction. And regardless of the lane count, a driver must proceed with caution and maintain a speed safe for road, weather and traffic conditions.
Under the proposal, a driver found to violate the move-over requirement can face a minor misdemeanor moving violation charge and a fine up to $300 plus court costs.
Gov. John Kasich signed the bill into law Monday.
Rumpke played a major role in the passage of this legislation. Rumpke drivers testified in the
House and Senate in support of the bill.
In addition to this legislative effort, Rumpke officials said the company has added signage and extra lighting to its trucks. Additional training, and more reflective attire has also been provided to drivers, according to the company.
On Monday morning, David Evans, 52, of Cincinnati, was emptying trash into the back of his truck when he was pinned against his truck by a vehicle driven by Brian Jankovich, 41, of Middletown, according to Lt. Clint Arnold of the Hamilton Highway Patrol Post.
Officials said the investigation is continuing and they’re unsure why Jankovich ran into the back of the truck around 6:30 a.m. near the intersection of Central Avenue and Heinkel Road. Officials do not believe speed was a factor. The speed limit in the area is 35 miles per hour. Arnold said the driver was most likely driving at that speed.
Evans was dressed in appropriate reflective safety gear and all truck safety lights were in operation at the time of the accident, according to Rumpke officials.
Evans, a 15-year employee at Rumpke, was flown to Miami Valley Hospital where he died, according to the state patrol. Rumpke employees were “devastated” when told of Evans’ death, said Molly Yeager, manager of corporate communications.
She described Rumpke as a “family” company and said losing an employee was like losing a family member. “A hard loss,” she said. Bridgett Biggs, safety manager at Rumpke, said: “There are no words to express the sorrow we are feeling for our driver and all those touched by today’s incident. Any accident is one too many. The safety of our drivers and the community is paramount. “
Middletown 911 operators received three frantic calls minutes after the accident. One man tried to describe the accident.
“We just had ... oh my God,” he told a 911 dispatcher. “There is a bad accident here on Central Avenue. Someone ran into the back of a truck.”
When asked, he told the operator that one person wasn’t moving and another person was trapped inside a vehicle.
Jankovich was transported to Atrium Medical Center with serious, non life-threatening injuries, according to the state patrol.
A single garbage truck can make 600 to 900 stops a day, according to the National Waste and Recycling Association.
Legislation similar to the Ohio proposal has passed in 16 states including Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York and West Virginia, according to the organization.
Trash collectors have the fifth-highest death rate among civilian jobs in the country, according to federal data.
The “move over” law applying to emergency workers went into effect in September 1999, following the deaths of Centerville Police Officer John P. Kalaman and Washington Twp. Firefighter Robert O’Toole on I-675 in January 1998 while assisting with an accident.