COVINGTON, La. — Winget's Disposal was back on Lee Road near Royal Pine Drive in St. Tammany Parish outside Covington around noon. The crew resumed a garbage collection route halted hours earlier by a deadly accident.
A Winget's employee was killed around 6 a.m. Friday. Louisiana State Police say a car slammed into the back of his garbage truck.
"We were told that the garbage truck was stopped," LSP spokesman Trooper Mark Gremillion said. "It was doing its normal route, picking up garbage, and one of the hoppers was off doing the job while another hopper was still on the back of the truck when the crash occurred."
Police confirmed the crash pinned the worker, later identified as 26-year-old Benjamin Bonura of Amite, between a blue Hyundai Elantra and the back of the truck. He died from his injuries.
The accident happened in the southbound lane, not far from Donald Lemoine's driveway.
"This morning, I woke up and there were four state cops out there, a fire truck, two wreckers, and that's all I could see," Lemoine said.
The Hyundai driver received moderate injuries and was hospitalized.
Residents say this stretch of Lee Road is dangerous, with multiple serious accidents in recent months.
"They fly. I've already been almost hit twice," Pamela Rogers said. "They don't stop. They just keep going. It's like every, maybe twice a month, there's an accident on this road because nobody monitors it."
Rogers works just down the street from the accident scene.
"It was horrible," she said. "It was a horrible scene, and I pray for the people. The person who was killed, I pray for his family."
Police emphasized this as another example of why drivers need to pay attention.
"Don't look at their phone," Trooper Gremillion said. "Always drive the speed limit and watch out for pedestrians and those utility workers who are out there serving the public."
Charges are pending.
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