The family of an unhoused Eugene woman who died after being run over by a garbage truck in August 2019 is suingSanipac, its parent company Waste Connections, and the driver for negligence.
Annette Montero was run over in the early morning hours of August 26th, 2019. She’d had a meal the night before at first Christian Church. But, her bike was stolen, and she was stuck outside the church. Relatives say Montero bedded down in a red sleeping bag in the parking lot, so she should have been visible to the driver.
Shane Davis, an attorney with Johnson Johnson Lucas and Middleton in Eugene, said the Sanipac driver was negligent.
“He should have been aware that he hit something,” Davis said. “And it is just a complete disregard for, frankly for human life here. He’s not getting out to check. He’s not looking at what he just hit but he runs her over and then he drives off.”
Davis said they want the company to enact policies to prevent this kind of death in the future.
“They do have a duty in this community to be aware of all people, not just those in houses,” he said. “But, the unhoused population, it’s a part of our population. And they still need to be taking basic precautions to make sure they’re not causing something so horrific as this death. Because again this was something that was preventable and should have been prevented.”
The lawsuit seeks reparations and economic damages of up to 850 thousand dollars. Annette Montero was 57. She is survived by her daughter, Lorraine Baldi.
KLCC has reached out to Sanipac and Waste Connection for comment. But has not yet had a response.
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