Virginia Beach Man Killed by Garbage Truck

At about eight o’clock in the morning on June 28, Michael Knockett, a 52-year-old homeless man, was run over and killed by a Virginia Beach city garbage truck as he slept on the beach on 25th Street at the oceanfront.

Deputy City Manager Dave Hansen gave an official announcement about the incident shortly after it happened.  According to the announcement, Knockett had been sleeping on the beach in a “depressed area” of the sand.  If this were the case, Knockett would have been easily missed by the driver of the garbage truck.  However, there is photographic evidence that proves this story to be untrue.

Joan Veronie, a shutterbug from Topeka, Kansas, happened to take a photograph of the victim sleeping on the beach just moments before the accident.  This photo did not show a man burrowed in the sand.  It showed a man napping in an upright beach chair with a white hat on his head and a blue blanket covering his body.  Most people would agree that this would be hard to miss on an empty beach.

The Virginia Beach community was quick to show their outrage over the death and the attempt to absolve the city of negligence.  Some people accused the city of not caring abut homeless people, and others demanded the truck driver be charged with a crime.  However, prosecutors have pointed out that it would be hard to prove that Boyd was demonstrating a “callous disregard for human life.” 

According to an article in the Virginian Pilot on August 1, the 30-year-old truck driver, Heather Boyd, had multiple traffic violations on her record when she was hired several years ago, and has at least seven traffic convictions now.  With that kind of record, she should not have been allowed to drive a 9-ton truck for the city.  However, Hansen says he is “reasonably confident that we’ve adhered to our existing policies and current practice.” 

Even if criminal charges are not filed in a case, it still may be possible to file a civil suit.  If you or someone you know has been involved in a personal injury accident which resulted in injury or even death, you should know your rights.  Attorney Michael S. Weisberg is skilled at handling personal injury lawsuits, so please contact us.  We offer free consultations and would be happy to assist you with your legal needs.