The company that handles residential trash collection for the city of Fort Worth is being sued for negligence following a crash on Highway 360 that involved one of its drivers.
A lawsuit in Tarrant County District Court alleges that an unidentified driver with Waste Management of Texas Inc. failed to secure their truck’s load in April 2022. Fort Worth resident Dayton Montre Brown, who filed the lawsuit, said that a large object fell out of the top of the truck on Highway 360 in Arlington and hit his car, forcing him to slam on his brakes and causing injuries.
Brown is seeking financial relief for his: past and future medical expenses caused by the accident; pain and suffering; mental anguish; physical impairment; vehicle damages; court costs. In total, Brown is seeking somewhere between $250,000 and $1 million in relief, according to court documents.
Lawyers for Brown did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson with Waste Management said the company does not comment on pending litigation.
Fort Worth has contracted with Waste Management of Texas for residential garbage collection since 2003. The city most recently renewed its contract with Waste Management of Texas in 2021. Then, council members approved a 12-year, $479 million contract extension, despite consternation from another company who wanted the contract to go through a public bid process.
City Council members met behind closed doors twice in October to discuss legal issues concerning its “collection of residential garbage contract.” A city spokesperson told the Report that Fort Worth cannot comment on the lawsuit, but added that any residents experiencing issues with services are encouraged to contact the City Call Center at 817-392-1234.
“WM is pleased to report the solid waste agreement with the city of Fort Worth continues to perform efficiently,” Waste Management spokesperson Lisa Doughty wrote by email.
The council also extended an existing agreement with Burns & McDonnell on Oct. 31. The engineering company is responsible for evaluating Fort Worth’s solid waste contracts, and previously recommended the city extend its contract with Waste Management of Texas. It called the contract extension a “good deal” for the city, with “financial and customer service focused benefits.”
Environmental reporter Haley Samsel contributed to this report.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here. Emily Wolf is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at emily.wolf@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter.
Noncommercial entities may republish our articles for free by following our guidelines. For commercial licensing, please email hello@fortworthreport.org.
