GardaWorld Armored Trucks Sued by Multiple Plaintiffs
This goes without saying, but armored vehicles, specifically those tasked with carrying money, weapons, or other government necessities are some of the most dangerous vehicles on the road. They’re naturally heavy, have low visibility, and require experienced drivers who know the vehicle’s tolerances when it comes to stopping times. That being said, one of the most prominent government armored vehicle contractors, GardaWorld, has an extremely poor safety record and is now defending itself against several personal injury lawsuits, including wrongful death lawsuits.
A Timeline of Incompetence
Government contractors are especially required to follow all federal safety guidelines when it comes to trucking. In fact, a failure to follow these safety guidelines should be grounds to pull their contract. Unfortunately, that never happened, even after safety regulators visited GardaWorld’s corporate headquarters and found “systematic breakdowns” that led to safety lapses that led to deaths.
In 2015, a worker for GardWorld reported that the company was operating with unsafe trucks. While drivers account for the majority of truck accident injuries, mechanical breakdowns or mechanical issues are a close second.
In 2017, investigators discovered that repair requests for GardaWorld vehicles had not been read for months. It wasn’t until 2019 that the U.S. Government told GardaWorld that their trucks were crashing far too often and ordered them to make substantial changes. In 2020, an employee for GardaWorld showed how the company had taken major shortcuts when it came to training drivers and repairing their vehicles.
Two weeks later, one of GardaWorld’s employees burned alive in the back of an armored vehicle. He wasn’t the only one. He is one of 22 people who have died in accidents with GardaWorld trucks. If one person was responsible for the death of 22 people, that person would be executed. Yet GardaWorld comfortably maintains its contract with the government.
Personal Injury Claims Against GardaWorld
The above is just background for the 22 deaths that have occurred and the numerous unreported injuries that stem from crashes with GardaWorld trucks. All trucking companies are required by law to maintain their vehicles in a roadworthy fashion. If the vehicle malfunctions and causes injury to another driver, the company that owns the vehicle is responsible for their injuries.
Further, it is becoming much more commonplace for individual truckers to be held individually liable for these claims with criminal complaints for negligent homicide being filed against truckers who suffer mechanical breakdowns that end another person’s life. Yet GardaWorld is able to operate on the taxpayer’s dime while endangering the lives of everyone else on the road.
Allegations against the company could include negligent maintenance of dangerous equipment, negligent hiring, negligent supervision, negligent training, willful misconduct, and gross negligence for allowing 22 deaths to result from their safety failures.
Talk to a Miami Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you’ve been injured in an accident with a large commercial truck, you may be entitled to recover damages related to your medical expenses, lost wages, and reduced quality of life. Call the Miami personal injury attorneys at Payer & Associates today to discuss your situation in more detail and learn more about how we can help.
Resource:
tampabay.com/investigations/2020/12/31/federal-agency-knew-garda-was-really-bad-at-safety-it-took-little-action/
