May 24th, 2007 was a sunny, lazy afternoon in an Auburn neighborhood, alive with the sounds of kids getting home from school. It all screamed to a tragic halt when an Allied Waste recycling truck turned onto Brandon Hefty's block and ran over the 13-year-old boy.

Firefighters and Brandon's friends ran to get his mother, Jeanette Hefty. The news didn't make sense. "It did not click until I saw his face," she said.

Brandon is just one in a string of local deaths plaguing Allied Waste.

The KOMO 4 Problem Solvers pored through public records, talked to insiders and family members to reveal a disturbing picture. Since 1999, six people have died -- Brandon and five Allied Waste workers: Bill Jefferson, Jim Roemer, Lonnie Fulton, Celio Penamante, and the most recent accident, Justin Guilmet, who was run over by his own recycling truck.

"I just can't imagine that they can just allow that to continue, because you know, it just tears families apart," said Guilmet's mother, Sherry Neighbors.

Allied Waste's death toll in Washington is higher than its biggest competitor and, according to federal labor statistics, it's higher than the national average.

"And I knew from deep down inside," says Neighbors, "why, why this happened; because of this company."

A former Allied Waste worker agreed to talk to the Problem Solvers if we kept his identity hidden. He said Allied constantly pushed drivers to go faster.

"That's probably the biggest thing there is, there's constant pressure, that's how you get fired if you don't go fast enough," he said.

That's what Brandon Hefty's parents think happened to their son. "It just shouldn't have happened," said Jeanette Hefty, "it should not have happened."

Brandon and several other kids had just gotten off the school bus, and Brandon was crossing the intersection when an Allied Waste driver with just two months on the job, turned and hit him.

"Why did he even move?" wonders Hefty. "When he saw a bus there and kids crossing the street -- to me he had to have been in so much of a hurry that he wasn't going to wait for those kids to cross the street."

The King County Sheriff's Office investigated and called it an accident, saying neither Brandon nor the Allied driver saw each other.

The driver had been making pickups in the neighborhood and was sitting in the right-hand seat and, according to police reports he saw the school bus before he made the left hand turn.

"You're supposed to be cautious," says Brandon's father, Paul Hefty. "There are kids running around."

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries investigated all five worker deaths and cited Allied for safety violations.

Investigative documents for Justin Guilmet's accident show that while Guilmet drove his heavy recycling truck around city neighborhoods, all six brakes had been out of adjustment for days. The documents show Allied Waste knew about it, and still kept the truck on the road.

Labor & Industries spokeswoman Elaine Fischer agreed when asked if this was a significant problem and added, "I will say that Rabanco, Allied Waste, has been inspected more than most employers in the state."

Victims' families believe the state isn't nearly tough enough. Our insider says in spite of the extra inspections, Allied made a habit of putting off repairs.

He says he once lost a drive line on Interstate 90 that hit two other cars. "If something's not working right on the truck - it could cost somebody a life."

Allied's state fatality record of five deaths since 1999 is much worse than its largest competitor. Waste Management, with more employees in Washington state, has only had one worker die.

"It tells us," says Fischer, "that they can't afford to let their guard down for even one minute when it comes to staying on top of their safety program."

The Problem Solvers asked Allied Waste to comment on the string of fatal accidents. The company refused to do an on camera interview and late this week supplied a written statement. (Read the full letter from Rabanco, a subsidiary of Allied Waste.)

Allied says locally they've developed a rigorous training program, started weekly meetings to review accidents, developed a new traffic management plan at their recycling plant, and spent $5 million to improve safety at that plant. The statement adds that over the past three years that's led to a "30 percent reduction in serious injuries in Western Washington."

But the letter contained no explanation of the fatalities.

In all five of the worker deaths, Labor & Industries fined Allied Waste. The largest penalty was $7,200.

That angers Guilmet's mother Sherry Neighbors. "I think it's a slap on the hand and they know they can get away with that."

The families who've lost loved ones agree it's more than just a worker-safety issue, they believe if a company cuts safety corners on 40,000-pound trucks, everyone's at risk. Just ask Brandon's parents. "We want a safer neighborhood," says Jeanette Hefty. "We don't want this to happen again."

Also in their written statement, Allied Waste says the deeply regret these incidents and the safety and well-being of their employees and the community is their highest priority.

The state says this company is definitely on its radar.