In Brentwood, New Hampshire in the summer of 2014, a woman was killed by a garbage truck that was traveling through a construction zone. Now, over a year later, her brother, James Rugg, is filing a lawsuit through the Rockingham County Superior Court on behalf of his deceased sister Margaret Rugg’s estate.
The suit states that Margaret was forced into an area that was narrow and unsafe. This led to Ms. Rugg being hit by the back tires of the garbage truck. The commercial trash truck injured Margaret severely and eventually lead to her death. The state police reported that on July 22, 2014, Rugg rode her bike through a breakdown lane located on Epping Road in Exeter. She tried to maneuver her bike through a construction lane closure. During this time, Rugg lost her balance and fell. When she fell, she was in the path of a garbage truck driven by Pinard Waste System’s Mark Lancey.
Pinard Waste Systems Co. Inc. of Hooksett, Bourassa Construction of Stratham and Martini Northern LLC are the three defendants named in the suit. Martini and Bourassa are being accused of negligence. However, they claim to have retained traffic control personnel and flaggers. This wasn’t the only accusation. One of the other ones were that Martini Northern failed to comply with regulations on local, state and federal grounds regarding trenching. They’re being accused of failing to put up signs and roadside markings. Additionally, they didn’t leave enough space for cars, pedestrians large trucks or bicycles to pass safely. The suit makes similar allegations toward Bourassa. Margaret’s suit claims that Pinard didn’t train employees adequately in regards to operating a vehicle in a construction zone.
Rugg died at age 64. She retired the year prior to her death. She was in the education field throughout the entire course of her life. She retired as the preschool coordinator for the Windham School District. In addition to her passion for teaching, she was also very interested in biking.
Although nothing can bring her back, if the settlement is won, it may just give her family a bit of closure over the ordeal.
