A federal court jury in San Francisco has awarded $11.4 million in damages to a garbage truck driver whose spine was injured when a front wheel of his truck collapsed and the 55,000-pound vehicle dropped to the ground.

Raymond Mariolle, 46, a Waste Management Co. driver for more than 20 years, suffered compression injuries from the October 2007 incident that left him in severe pain despite three surgeries, his lawyers said.

The right front hub of the truck fractured and the wheel fell off while Mariolle was driving near the Livermore Airport. His lawsuit said Consolidated Metco, which made the hub, Volvo Truck, which built the cab and chassis, and Wittke Manufacturing, which designed the truck, all knew the hub was defective and overloaded and failed to warn drivers or the public.

The companies contended Mariolle had pre-existing back injuries...