California man sues after bear was able to hide in his bin at Lake Tahoe

John Donaldson needed surgery after falling as he fled the animal

(Dieter Hopf/imageBROKER/Shutterstock)

A California man filed a lawsuit after he injured himself when a bear surprised him in a Lake Tahoe dumpster.

John Donaldson was on vacation in the area when he opened the bin to get rid of his dog’s waste bag and came across the bear inside of it.

As he fled the scene he tripped and fell, tearing his achilles tendon and injuring his spine, which both required surgery, according to court papers.

Mr Donaldson, who is from Davis, California, has sued Incline Crest Condominium Association, where he was staying, and Waste Management of Nevada, Inc.

His lawsuit seeks $15,000 in damages for the September 2019 incident in the Incline Village area.

Mr Donaldson also wants his legal costs covered as well as punitive damages.

Court documents state that the latch on the dumpster had been broken for months and did not shut automatically, allowing bears to get into the dumpster.

“It was discovered that the left dumpster door would not shut automatically as it was designed to do. One had to purposely slam the door shut. The right dumpster door was completely frozen shut,” court documents said.

The lawsuit also accuses Waste Management of Nevada of failing to repair the broken dumpster, and Incline Crest HOA of failing to report the dumpster to Waste Management, or telling guests and residents about the problem.

“It is well known and established that Incline Village, as well as other parts of Lake Tahoe, has a serious and persistent bear problem, predominantly trash-related,” the lawsuit states.

The Independent has reached out to Waste Management and Mr Donaldson’s lawyer for comment.