The family of Carl Robinson, the 63-year-old American tourist who was crushed to death in August by a malfunctioning garbage lorry on Copenhagen’s Strøget pedestrian street has sued the city.

“I have sent a letter asking the city of Copenhagen to acknowledge responsibility for the accident,” the family's lawyer in Denmark, Søren Kroer told Ekstra Bladet newspaper. “I expect them to quickly acknowledge responsibility so we can begin estimating the amount of damages.”

A representative for the city acknowledged that the letter had been recieved and that the city would shoulder its responsibility for the incident.

“We have said told them over the telephone that we recognised our liability,” said Martin Nordrup Andersen, of Copenhagen’s public works department. “Our responsibility is spelled out in the traffic laws.”

The accident occurred after a city sanitation worker parked and left the vehicle unattended while on his rounds emptying rubbish bins on Strøget. An inspector reported that a sensor in the driver's seat that disengages the vehicle's motor when it is unoccupied may have malfunctioned and caused the vehicle to accelerate.

Mark Scurti, a long-time friend from Robinson's hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, said people are still in shock over Robinson's sudden and bizarre death.

"Over 100 people attended Carl's memorial service and shared stories about his life and how he touched so many people," said Scurti. " People came from all parts of his life, from his childhood days through his later years. Having recently retired, he was looking forward to spending more time with his friends and traveling to see more of the world."

Robinson was hit and dragged several meters before the vehicle stopped when it hit a wall.