UPS, Fedex, & Amazon Prime Delivery Truck Accident Lawyers

Injured in a delivery accident? Win your claim in California, starting now

package delivery on doorstep

Major delivery truck companies like USPS, Amazon Prime, Fedex, and UPS, have grown their reputation and brand authority by delivering packages on time. Although fast delivery is every client’s wish, the truck drivers who drive at incredibly high speed put themselves and other passengers at high risks of accidents.

If you live in California, you are probably accustomed to seeing UPS, Amazon Prime, and Fedex trucks rush against traffic to deliver packages. Sometimes the trucks may block the road when the driver gets out of the truck loaded with several packages.

All drivers employed by Amazon Prime, Fedex, and UPS are not only qualified, but also trained rigorously on road safety. However, you may come across one or two delivery truck drivers who are reckless on the road. What would you do if you got into an accident with a delivery truck driver from UPS, Fedex, or Amazon Prime? Who is at fault, the driver or the trucking company?

The first thing you need to understand is the probability of getting into a delivery truck accident in California and the rest of the United States. Check out the statistics below.

Delivery truck accident statistics

Much like car accidents, fatal accidents involving delivery trucks and commercial vehicles are common along the interstate highways and rural roads in California. The FMCSA prepared a report about the reported number of accidents from agencies of law enforcement and police departments around the United States. The report indicated that there were at least 450,000 traffic accidents involving trucks.

The report also indicates that in 2017, there were more than 4230 fatal accidents that involved heavy trucks in California. In general, there were 344,000 truck accidents in 2017, where 23 % of the accidents resulted in serious personal injuries.

The single-vehicle accidents included the following:

•    20% of the accidents resulted in fatalities involving trucks

•    The injury-related accidents made up about 15% of the collisions

•    The damage claims of property were about 23%

Other accident statistics include:

•    63% of the fatal collisions involved big trucks and two or more other vehicles on the road.

•    57% of all the grave accidents took place in the rural areas of California whereby:

•    27% of the accidents occurred along the interstate highways

•    13% of the fatal collisions happened on the interior rural highways, which resulted in 35% of all the serious accidents.

•    30% of the fatalities caused by accidents involving large trucks occurred in work zones.

The main causes of delivery truck accidents are the same factors that cause accidents with other vehicles. Some of the common traffic violations that delivery truck drivers are likely to make when they are in a hurry include:

•    The delivery driver may fail to display the emergency blinkers to other vehicles on the road

•    If there is no available parking space, the delivery truck driver may park the truck in the middle of the road

•    Sometimes the truck may be overloaded with dangerous cargo, which could cause a catastrophe

Delivery Truck Accident Statistics

Building a strong case after a delivery truck accident

What would you do if you got into an accident as a result of the recklessness or negligence of a delivery truck driver from UPS, Amazon Prime, or Fedex? The best course of action that we highly recommend for accident victims is to contact a personal injury attorney, who will walk you through the appropriate legal process of filing for compensation of damages with the delivery company or its insurance provider.

Big delivery companies like Amazon consider their drivers as employees of the organization rather than independent contractors. This means that once you get into a traffic collision with a delivery truck from such an organization, your best chance of compensation is to sue the company rather than sue the driver no matter what company motor vehicle they are in be it a semi-truck, tractor-trailer, delivery van, or anything else.

In order for you to build a strong case in court after the accident, there are important things that you need. They include:

Police report

As you well know, immediately after an accident, you are supposed to notify the authorities and issue a statement to the police. The police report will help build your case in court because it will prove that you followed the appropriate legal procedure, especially if you plan to sue the delivery company for damages.

There are instances when the delivery driver may try to convince you not to call the police, especially if the accident was not fatal. Sometimes people sustain serious internal injuries like brain injuries, broken bones, and internal bleeding which may not be visible at the scene of the accident. If you let the driver off the hook easily without filing a statement with the police, and noting down their details, it may hurt your case against the company later on.

Witnesses

Another important thing that will really help your case in court is a witness. Did someone witness how the accident occurred? If the accident was caused by the recklessness of the delivery driver, can someone else attest to it on your behalf?

When accidents occur, people gather around the scene to see if everything is okay and get help for anyone who is injured. These are the people who will help you win your case in court and receive your compensation for damages.

Talk to one of the witnesses to confirm that they saw how the other driver was at fault. Take the contact information of the witness e.g. their phone number so that you can get in touch with them.

Photographs of the accident scene

The photographs of the accident will provide evidence of how serious the damage to your car or property is, to the court or the insurance company. Make sure that you also take photos of your physical injuries if possible, at the accident scene.

If you sustain serious injuries, you can get someone else at the scene to take the photos of you. This is why you need the contact information of any witnesses at the accident scene because witnesses tend to take pictures using their phones at an accident scene. One of those pictures could capture your injuries or those of your vehicle.

Details about the vehicle and driver

You will need to provide detailed information to the court or insurance company about the delivery track and the driver responsible for the accident. Ensure that you note down the details of the driver at the accident scene. This includes their name, driver’s license number, national ID if available, the registration plate of the truck, and the insurance details of the truck.

Factors to consider for delivery truck accident case compensation

Medical report

The main reason that people sue for damages is to cover the unplanned medical expenses as a result of injuries sustained in an accident. If you get hospitalized due to serious injuries, the medical report will contain all the details of your treatment expenses to the court or insurance company.

Sometimes you may not sustain any physical injuries, but you may end up developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the accident. Expenses associated with seeking mental health guidance from a licensed practitioner should also be presented in the case for compensation.

Credibility

Are you aware that the driver may try to deny their recklessness or negligence in court? If you do not have accurate information and details about the accident, it may affect your credibility in court, and result into lower compensation.

As we stated earlier, witnesses are very important in court. They will testify how the delivery truck driver was violating traffic rules and caused the accident. The pictures from the accident detailing the damage to your car and body will also help you receive adequate compensation.

Without pictures of the accident scene, the defendant may claim that the collision was not very severe, thereby affecting the amount of compensation you receive.

Do you have access to a personal injury attorney? Here at JT Legal Group, we offer legal advice and representation to people who have been involved in an accident with UPS, Fedex, or Amazon Prime delivery trucks. Call us today for consultation.

Common Causes of Automobile Accidents Involving UPS, Fed-Ex, and Amazon Prime Delivery Trucks

1. Driver Fatigue

UPS drivers are under constant scrutiny, with the company’s industrial engineers going so far as to implement a “six steps in three seconds” standard for a walking pace between their truck and delivery point.

Some Fed-Ex drivers are under even more pressure, working as independent contractors. Many of these drivers are forced to take on longer hours and heavier workload than anticipated just to make a profit with their routes. The same can often be said for other delivery services.

Amazon Prime operates a relatively new delivery fleet, so its driver policies aren’t as well documented at this point. However, if the working conditions are anything like Amazon warehouses, where employees are expected to package approximately four online orders per minute in order to receive favorable performance reviews, then we can expect Amazon delivery truck drivers to be pushed to their physical limits.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that driver fatigue and/or drowsiness is responsible for 109,000 injury accidents annually.

Were you injured in an automobile accident caused by a fatigued or drowsy UPS, Fed-Ex, or Amazon Prime driver? Contact the team of proven personal injury lawyers at JT Legal Group and we’ll aggressively pursue the compensation you are owed for your injuries.

2. Rushed, Impatient, and Speeding Drivers

Package delivery drivers work pre-determined routes daily. Increased package volume means more delivery stops and more time-consuming package pick-ups. Unfortunately, drivers are required to complete all deliveries, as well as all of their daily pick-ups before their shift is over, with no exceptions.

This places drivers under a massive amount of pressure to move at a high pace all day, or end up working 12-hour days.

A morning traffic jam can lead to a driver being forced to rush through the entire day.

3. Distracted Drivers

There are numerous things that pull package delivery drivers’ attention away from the road. Between maintaining a time schedule, looking for space to stop for deliveries in areas with limited curbside parking, and deliveries to addresses that don’t regularly receive packages, a driver can easily become somewhat preoccupied with thoughts other than safe driving.

Were you injured by a distracted UPS, Fed-Ex, or Amazon Prime driver while crossing in a crosswalk or cycling? Contact the personal injury law firm with a proven track record; schedule an initial consultation with JT Legal Group.

What to do After an Accident with a UPS Truck, Fed-Ex Truck, or Amazon Prime Van?

Step 1: Stop

Do not leave the scene under any circumstances.

Step 2: Protect the Accident Scene

Use your vehicle’s emergency flashers, flares, or any other device which warns other drivers of the obstruction ahead. If your vehicle has come to rest in a safe location, you can stay seated in your vehicle. If your vehicle came to a stop in traffic lanes, exit your vehicle and wait safely off to the side of the road.

Step 3: Call the Police

Getting the police to respond to an accident ensures that a report will be issued which can be used later in your claim. NOTE: If no one requires immediate medical attention, use your smartphone to find the phone number for non-emergency dispatch. This ensures that 911 lines are open for life-threatening emergencies.

Step 4: Provide an Accurate Statement to the Police

Do not guess, misstate, or speculate about anything. You may be slightly unnerved and have trouble recalling all of the details. That is perfectly normal. If you don’t recall a particular fact, tell police that you don’t recall.

Step 5: Take Photographs TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS

It is so important to create a visual record of the damage caused by the accident. Photograph your vehicle, the delivery vehicle involved, tire skid marks, road signage, stop lights, and any other pieces of visual evidence that can help with rebuilding the accident. With a high-resolution camera in nearly every cell phone these days, there is no reason not to take photographs of the accident scene.

Step 6: Exchange Information

The responding police officer will likely facilitate the exchange, but if they have not, make sure to exchange information with the other driver.

Step 7: Report the Accident to Your Insurance Provider

This is an important task that cannot be overlooked as most modern auto insurance policies require immediate notification.

Step 8: Seek Medical Attention

Many automobile accident injuries don’t manifest themselves until several hours have passed. The adrenaline coursing through your veins can often muffle the pain until you’ve had ample opportunity to calm down after the accident. Some people go to bed after an accident feeling fine and awake to a drastically different and painful physical state. If you feel pain, seek medical treatment immediately.

It is important to keep accident reports, photographs, medical bills, and any other information related to the accident organized and stored in a safe location. Back up photographs to a USB drive, make duplicates of paper documents and take any other precautions to ensure nothing is lost.

Step 10: Protect Your Right to be Compensated for Your Injuries

Contact one of the experienced personal injury attorneys at JT Legal Group as soon as possible. Our team will advocate on your behalf and ensure that you are properly compensated for your injuries.

What Can You Expect if You Sue UPS, Fed-Ex, Amazon Prime?

Can you Sue The Company?

Amazon has been the subject of lawsuits contesting their drivers’ employment status: their drivers contend that the terms of their employment would make them employees, not independent contractors. Therefore, you may be able to attribute the negligence and sue the company. To be successful, it must be shown that a) the driver must be an employee, and; b) the drivers must, at the time of the accident, have been acting within the scope of their employment.

Before the Trial

In the event of an accident with a Fed-Ex or a UPS driver, the respective companies are likely to direct you to their insurers. UPS use auto-liability insurance with a $1,000,000 limit, whilst Fed-EX has an automobile liability insurance with a $5,000,000 limit. Regardless of the impact that the accident has had on you or your life, insurers often attempt to get you to settle for smaller amounts than would be necessary. It may, therefore, be in your best interest to pursue a lawsuit.

How Much Can you Expect To Recover At Trial?

That is largely dependent on the facts of the accident. An experienced and knowledgeable attorney will look to recover for things such as medical bills, lost wages, punitive damages, and physical injuries and/or suffering when pursuing compensation for the accident. The attorney would have to satisfy the various elements of negligence in order to recover damages: there would be a particular burden on proving that a duty of care has been breached, and, from there, that there is a causal link between that breach and the injuries or losses suffered.

Why Hire An Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer to Handle Your Claim Against UPS, Fed-Ex, or Amazon?

These multi-billion-dollar companies are not your friend. Large companies are notorious for bullying unrepresented parties who are seeking compensation.

A report by the Insurance Research Council found that claimants who are represented by a personal injury lawyer received an average of three times as much compensation as unrepresented parties.

The same study also found that an alarming 85% of all settlements paid by insurance companies involved parties who have a lawyer advocating on their behalf.

Don’t let common misconceptions prevent you from getting paid what you are owed for your injuries. Hiring an attorney will not prolong your dispute.

The Best Truck Accident Attorneys in California

Many who are injured in these accidents are often unaware of their rights, nor what legal options are available to them. Here, our delivery truck accident lawyers will be able to answer any questions you may have, as well as assist you with your unique case. Our legal team is here to help. Contact us today for a free consultation and we can advise you on starting your injury claim right away.

Act Now or Risk Ending Up Empty-Handed

Don’t lose the legal window of opportunity. Get maximum compensation for your car accident injuries – and more importantly, don’t give the defendant’s lawyers time to prepare against you.
Contact the expert Los Angeles attorneys at JT Group now!
It’s free and obligation-free.

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    What We Do To Help

    Our experienced delivery accident lawyers in Los Angeles will work tirelessly to protect your rights and secure the highest compensation for your delivery accident injury.

    As a Glendale law firm specialized in California delivery accident injuries, we put vast expertise, experience, and resources in service of your case. More importantly, we work tirelessly on your behalf as you recover physically, personally, and financially. We never work for insurance companies – we only defend victims!