Garbage man hit and killed while working his route in Frederick County

CLARKSBURG, Md. — Maryland State Police are investigating a fatal two-car crash involving a garbage truck and an SUV in Frederick County.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, officials received a phone call about a man being hit by a car on Green Valley Road. The victim who has been identified as 55-year-old Jose Gomes was working as the driver of a garbage truck. 

Gomes was taken to Frederick Health Hospital via ambulance. Medics pronounced him dead shortly after arriving. 

Investigators say Gomes and his co-worker were running their route as usual. They both got out of the truck to empty the resident's trash cans into the garbage truck. During this time a 2006 Subaru Outback traveling northbound on Green Valley Road reportedly hit Gomes. 

Neither the coworker nor the driver of the SUV were injured.

The driver remained on the scene until officers arrived. The road remained closed for four hours while officials conducted a preliminary investigation and cleaned up the scene. 

The reason for the accident is still under investigation. 

The Maryland State Police Crash team is currently leading this investigation into the cause. Once the team concludes their investigation, they will hand over their findings to Frederick County State’s Attorney’s office. The Attorney’s office will later determine if charges will be filed in this case.