LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — On Monday, a Lexington driver came dangerously close to hitting a waste management employee, according to dash camera footage from another motorist.
The video shows two vehicles passing a garbage truck on either side. One driver goes onto the grass on the passenger side, narrowly missing the trash collector.
It is the kind of move Antonio Baldon, Lexington's waste management division director, fears most.
"They're used to seeing certain behaviors from the public," Baldon said. "It's sad, but it's real."
Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows waste and recycling collectors had the fifth-highest fatality rate in 2024, with most deaths caused by transportation incidents.
"We know we are one of the most dangerous jobs in America," Baldon said. "We want to hone in on that by making sure not only our employees are aware, but the public is aware."
Waste management crews often hop on and off trucks and work in the street. The Solid Waste Association of North America promotes its “Slow Down to Get Around” campaign to encourage drivers to be cautious near sanitation workers.
"That's something we want to use not only for us in the sanitation field," Baldon said, "but we would want any individual to think about that going around a public bus, a tow truck — things causing danger to individuals working, as well as to the public itself."
Baldon's plea is simple: If you must pass, use extreme caution.
"Please be safe for all sanitation workers," he said. "Be kind to them. They have a tough job, and we want to be sure we send them back home to their families the same way they came into work to do the service they work hard to do."
Lexington police said no report was filed in connection with the incident.
