Man struck, killed by garbage truck in Burlington restaurant parking lot identified
Jake Zappa, 34, is a Waukesha resident who worked for Pizza Ranch.
Jake Zappa, 34, is a Waukesha resident who worked for Pizza Ranch.
Jake Zappa, 34, is a Waukesha resident who worked for Pizza Ranch.
A man was struck and killed by a garbage truck Monday in the Pizza Ranch parking lot in Burlington.
He was identified Tuesday by Pizza Ranch as Jake Zappa, 34.
"Jake was a member of our Grassroots Marketing Team and a beloved Pizza Ranch Family member. We want to express our deepest sympathies to Jake’s family, friends, and fellow team members in this difficult time," Burlington Pizza Ranch said in a Facebook post.
Burlington police said the crash happened at about 9:50 a.m. Many people passing by the scene into the early afternoon were shocked by the large police presence and wondered what had happened.
"I was just driving by and saw a bunch of trucks and concerned police officers, and I had heard that something really bad happened," said Bob Wright, who was vising the nearby shopping complex Monday afternoon.
The preliminary investigation indicates an ASDA Enterprises garbage truck was performing a backing maneuver when the truck hit the victim while he was walking toward his car.
The business was closed at the time.
"It could have been anybody's kid. It could have been anybody's neighbor. It's just really sad, really sad," Wright said. "I mean, you hear about things happening like this every now and then, you know, along the way, but it's so rare and so sad and tragic."
The operator of the garbage truck and ASDA are cooperating with investigators. Police identified the driver Tuesday as 25-year-old Robert Peterson of Burlington
WISN 12 News visited ASDA's Burlington headquarters Monday, but the business declined to comment.
A Wisconsin State Patrol heavy truck inspector was called to assist in the investigation. At the conclusion of his investigation, it was found the disposal truck was found to be equipped with a functioning back up alarm, police said.
Burlington police told WISN 12 News they're currently not looking into criminal charges against ASDA Enterprises or the garbage truck driver but said it's an ongoing investigation, and it'll take "quite some time" to get information back in this case.