Protesting Trash Worker Hit by Garbage Truck in Gaithersburg

A trash collector protesting at Potomac Disposal was struck by a garbage hauler Wednesday morning outside the Gaithersburg trash collection firm.

The incident was reported to police at around 6:45 a.m. at Woodfield and Airpark Roads, said Rebecca Innocenti, a Montgomery County police spokeswoman.

The trash hauler was going too fast to negotiate a turn and jumped the curb, striking the protestor on the sidewalk near the company's entrance, Innocenti said.

The worker, an adult male, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, though the injuries weren't considered life threatening, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman Beth Anne Nesselt said.

The driver was cited with failing to control speed to avoid a collision, Innocenti said.

Workers from Potomac Disposal went on strike Monday, demanding health coverage and protesting an alleged immigration threat from the company, Patch has reported. The strike continued on Tuesday.

The strike disrupted trash removal for 12,000 homes in Silver Spring, Wheaton, Bethesda and Chevy Chase, Nicole Duarte, a spokeswoman for the Laborers' International Union of North America, Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Coalition, which represents the workers, has told Patch.

County officials said Potomac Disposal is one of three firms providing garbage collection services to the county.

Bonnie Ayers, a county spokeswoman, told Bethesda-Chevy Chase Patch that despite the strike, Potomac Disposal was still able to service 8,000 residences on Monday and another 8,000 residents on Tuesday.