A truck operated by Monaco’s Sanitation Services (SMA) struck a pensioner while reversing, knocking him to the ground unconscious, Monaco’s Criminal Court was told.

The victim said he heard no reversing warning signals while SMA said all the safety equipment was in working order.

The accident took place in the very narrow impasse des Carrières at the Sainte-Dévote bridge interchange in June last year.

The injured person was taken to Princess Grace Hospital and treated for multiple fractures, including a head trauma that needed thirteen stitches.

A lawyer for SMA said changes had been made in the service’s operating protocol to avoid such an accident in the future. The company voluntarily paid the victim 5,000 euros, The court added a further 6,000 in damages and imposed a suspended sentence on SMA.