NHP says garbage truck in fatal crash was overweight

Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004 | 11:21 a.m.

A Republic Services garbage truck that rolled over and killed a 19-year-old woman early Sunday was overweight by more than 20,000 pounds in addition to going too fast, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Angie Chavera said this morning.

The Highway Patrol is conducting an automatic blood test to make sure the driver, Richard Charles Hall, 33, was not impaired by any substances, Chavera said. A blood test is conducted on all commercial drivers when an accident causes a fatality, Chavera said.

Chavera said Hall took the curve too fast as he was exiting Interstate 15 northbound at Cheyenne Avenue about 2:10 a.m. Sunday. She said his truck rolled onto the white Chevrolet Suburban driven by Ashley Swain of North Las Vegas.

Swain died at the scene.

Chavera said charges are pending in the collision, but that it may be weeks before the Highway Patrol completes its report and charges are filed.

Whether the driver or Republic Services or both receive citations related to the collision depends on who knew or should have known the truck was overweight and who approved driving it in that condition, Chavera said.

A nonfatal rollover of a garbage truck in July 2003 resulted in the driver being cited for taking a left turn too fast. The company was not cited in that case, which was in Metro Police's jurisdiction.

The driver in that case was also suspended during the investigation.

Lee Haney of Rogich Communications, spokeswoman for Republic Services of Southern Nevada, said the company could not comment on the collision or whether Hall would be disciplined, until the company receives the official report from the Nevada Highway Patrol.

"It a tragic accident that we're very sorry happened," Haney said.

Commercial vehicles are responsible for about 1 percent of all accidents and a little more than 10 percent of all fatalities that troopers responded to over the last year, Chavera said.

The most recent fatal collision involving a commercial vehicle in the valley was on Dec. 16, when the driver of a Kia Sephia cut in front of a tractor-trailer that was northbound on Losee Road, authorities said.