913

Shawnee and Lenexa

Driver killed in Shawnee when his trash truck rolls over him

Shawnee police were on the scene at 57th Terrace and Goodard Street to investigate an accident Friday that killed the driver of a Deffenbaugh trash truck. The unoccupied truck apparently rolled over him, Shawnee police said.

The scene of the accident near 57th and Goddard in Shawnee.

The Kansas City Star

The driver of a trash truck was killed Friday when his unoccupied truck apparently rolled over him, Shawnee police said.

They identified the driver as Gary G. Anderson, 61, of Ottawa, Kan.

The accident shortly before noon involved a Deffenbaugh trash truck at 57th Terrace and Goddard Street, police said.

It appeared Anderson was getting ready to back his truck down 57th Terrace to pick up trash, he got out of the truck and the truck rolled over him, police said.

Tom Coffman, a spokesman for Deffenbaugh Industries, expressed sympathy for the family of Anderson, who had worked for them since April 2009.

Trash collection is a hazardous profession, and when a tragedy like this occurs, everyone in the company — from every market and every department — feels a sense of loss,” he said.

Officials with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said they would investigate.

Comments

  1. 3 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hopefully OSHA will rule that Deffenbaugh should not allow drivers to be alone in those huge trucks. What a horrible tragedy! These employees do a great job, this company needs to take better care of them.

Sign in with Facebook to comment.