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Video of 'violent, graphic' crash that injured postal worker in Lake Worth Beach to be shown in court

2020 crash of Lake Worth Beach garbage truck into postal vehicle van at center of lawsuit
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LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — The city of Lake Worth Beach has been fighting to keep jurors in a future lawsuit from seeing a video of a wreck involving a city truck and a postal worker.

The city's attorney said the video might unfairly sway a jury in an upcoming lawsuit.

Surveillance video recorded in September 2020 showed postal worker Christy Trimbath while she was stopped on her route.

A Lake Worth Beach garbage truck later smashes into her postal vehicle.

"Candidly, it is disturbing. It's violent. It's graphic," Lake Worth Beach city attorney Ann Breeden said while arguing that jurors should never see it. "That's going to inject some matter of shock value into this case that's not really necessary."

Photos from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office showed the damage that both the garbage truck and postal vehicle sustained in the collision.
Photos from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office showed the damage that both the garbage truck and postal vehicle sustained in the collision.

"The video doesn't lie," countered Trimbath's attorney Scott Smith, who says the video illustrates the start of Christy Trimbath's ordeal.

The video doesn't show what happened after the impact. But the postal worker's lawyer said Trimbath was tossed about 15 feet and knocked unconscious on the sidewalk.

The postal vehicle knocked down a palm tree where a stump now sits, then careened into the front door of a dentist's office.

Trimbath's lawsuit said it left her disabled and unable to work.

That's why Smith said jurors need to see the video of the wreck, which he said left her in that condition.

"It is actually the best evidence that we can provide to the jury to try our facts in this case," Smith said.

Judge Maxine Cheesman ruled the video is admissible evidence that can be shown to a jury for a civil trial scheduled to begin Aug.12.

Read the lawsuit against Lake Worth Beach below:

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