California Tourist Files Lawsuit after Dumpster Bear Attack
A California man has filed a lawsuit against two businesses in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, claiming they’re responsible for injuries he suffered while running from a bear that surprised him at a garbage dumpster.
John Donaldson says he was walking his dog while vacationing in Incline Village in September 2019 when he stopped at a dumpster to throw away his pooch’s poop. That’s when a bear, who apparently had designs on the dumpster’s contents, charged him, causing Donaldson to take off running, the suit reveals. At one point, he tripped and fell, tearing his Achilles tendon and injuring his spine, he says in the lawsuit.
Donaldson is seeking $15,000 from the Incline Crest Condominium Association, which manages the property where he was staying, and Waste Management of Nevada, which owns the dumpster. He claims Lake Tahoe has a “serious and persistent bear problem, predominantly trash-related” — and both companies should have done something about it.
