Company Faces 5 Suits Over Fatal Truck Crash

CHARLESTON, S.C. (CN) - A garbage removal company faces five lawsuits after one of its drivers allegedly sped through an intersection, flipped his truck and crashed into a car and motorcycle, killing two children and injuring two adults.

Crystal and Richard Hewitt, parents of the deceased children and plaintiffs in four of the lawsuits, said a driver employed by Waste Management was speeding as he approached an intersection in Lexington, S.C., on June 29.

Crystal was stopped at the intersection in a 2001 Honda, with her two children in back. Her husband was not with her.

Behind them was Kenneth McGuire on a motorcycle.

Unable to stop in time to avoid crashing directly into the Hewitts' car, the garbage truck driver apparently tried to veer away from the vehicle. This caused the truck to flip, but did nothing to prevent the collision.

The Hewitt family suffered serious injuries in the crash, the most serious resulting in the deaths of their children, according to their lawsuits in Federal Court. Crystal says she and the kids were trapped in the car for several hours after the accident.

She claims she suffered permanent disability, scarring and emotional trauma, and has been unable to attend to work since the accident.

Her husband has also filed a claim for loss of companionship, society and fellowship of his wife, and both have filed wrongful death claims related to the loss of their children, Parker, 5, and Haley, 3. They seek unspecified compensatory damages.

McGuire also sued Waste Management over the accident. He lost a leg and has since been receiving around the clock nursing and medical care, according to his complaint.

The Hewitts and McGuire are represented by attorneys Gedney Howe III and Bart Daniel of Charleston.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit