On Monday, May 31, the Benton County Sheriff’s Department was called to 5055 Elliott Circle, where there had been an accident involving a pedestrian and a garbage truck.
Deputy Brian Lundy arrived to find that 75-year-old Eugene Linwood Lang had been backed over by an Allied Waste Garbage truck around 8:00 a.m. Lang was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital with severe injuries. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital that afternoon.
A neighbor who was willing to speak on the condition of anonymity said that Lang didn’t have his garbage cans out when he heard the beeping of a garbage truck backing up. He ran out and crossed the street with his garbage cans. The neighbor said that the truck backed up over Lang, until someone started waving and yelling at the truck. The truck then moved forward and pulled Lang approximately 30 feet.
The neighbor was concerned about the blood in front of the Lang house, saying it wasn’t cleaned up by any of the emergency services on scene. This became a concern because of the biological hazard blood can present, as well as the fact that Lang’s wife could see the blood stain in front of their house when she went outside. The blood was eventually cleaned with hoses by neighbors.
The neighbor also mentioned that they believed the garbage trucks Republic Services use have a 360 degree camera equipped, meaning they should have been able to see Lang.
While impairment of any kind in the driver was ruled out at the scene of the accident, blood and urine samples were taken to be tested at the Oregon State lab. The case is now in the hands of the District Attorney.
Services for Eugene Lang were held June 19.
We’ve had a number of messages regarding this incident. We are seeking witnesses and people with direct knowledge of what occurred. If you saw something that you would like to add to this report, please feel free to contact us at editor@corvallisadvocate.com.
By Jonah Ando
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