Atlanta Delivery Truck Accident Attorneys

Danger on Atlanta Streets: Delivery Trucks

Convenience has become very important to American shoppers. E-commerce was already on the rise in the U.S. before COVID-19 arrived. Since the pandemic, the country has experienced a massive increase in online sales, which has resulted in increasing numbers of delivery trucks on the roadways which, in turn, has caused a rise in serious delivery truck accidents.

Delivery truck accidents, like truck accidents in general, are deadly. Those who become victims of delivery trucks often experience severe injuries, and even death. We at the Grant Law Office have seen just how devastating these kinds of accidents are. If you or a loved one have been injured in an Atlanta delivery truck collision that was not your fault, then you need a helping hand and deserve proper compensation. Call our Atlanta truck accident lawyers at (404) 995-3955 and find out how we can help you.

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Delivery Trucks and the Risk They Pose

Increasing numbers of Amazon, FedEx, UPS, and other delivery trucks on the roads have altered the very fabric of major urban areas around the country. They have contributed significantly to congestion in high-traffic areas. According to Forbes, Amazon delivers, on average, 2.5 billion packages a year, with hopes to reach 3.5 billion by 2022. FedEX and UPS, the two other big contenders for deliveries, deliver 3.4 billion and 5 billion respectively. That is an incredible number of delivery trucks on our highways, in our cities, and on our block. Those jarring numbers alone help explain why delivery truck crashes are so prevalent, but it is not the only contributing factor.

Delivery truck drivers are under a great deal of pressure to make as many deliveries as possible as quickly as possible. Amazon, for example, expects that its delivery drivers make 999 out of 1000 deliveries on time or early, according to the New York Times. That means Amazon delivery drivers are allowed a miniscule error margin of just .1%. Delivery drivers are expected to be on task at all times, despite the fact that driving and traffic can be incredibly unpredictable. If an Amazon delivery driver gets stuck on the highway due to a sudden accident, then all the deliveries they were supposed to make that day are at risk of being late. And more than one late delivery could result in termination.

This kind of high pressure pushed drivers to take risks, and drive irresponsibly. A delivery truck driver who is running late may be tempted to:

• Speed
• Drive aggressively
• Take turns too quickly
• Merge without checking blind spots
• Block bus and bike lanes
• Ignore traffic signals
• Violate or ignore right-of-way

This kind of dangerous behavior creates a very high risk of accident. Sadly, while a delivery truck driver is speeding out of fear over losing their job, they may strike you, and leave you dealing with the repercussions of both their and their company’s actions.

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How Delivery Truck Collisions Happen

Many different factors can contribute to delivery truck accidents. Most of them involve driver error on the part of the delivery driver. In our experience, common causes of crashes involving delivery trucks include:

Speeding: For many delivery truck drivers, the dollars they earn per hour, and their very jobs depend on rapidly delivering large numbers of packages to consumers. This factor creates a built-in incentive for drivers to exceed speed limits.

Distracted driving: Delivery drivers are focused on navigating their routes, finding the next address, and dropping off the next package as quickly as possible. With the distractions and the pressures of the job, drivers may fail to register pedestrians, bicycles, or motorcycles in parking lots or roadways. They may fail to react quickly enough to avoid accidents.

Aggressive driving: In addition to speeding, drivers in a rush to meet their delivery quotas may drive aggressively, engaging in driving conduct such as tailgating, failing to signal, weaving in and out of traffic with unsafe lane changes, running red lights or stop signs, and failing to yield the right-of-way, cutting off other drivers.

Fatigued driving: Delivery truck drivers have long routes with hundreds of packages to deliver on any given day. They are overworked and under pressure from their employers to complete their routes as quickly as possible and to continue making deliveries as long as it takes to get the job done. It is not surprising that these drivers could be operating a vehicle while fatigued.

Improper training: Companies such as Amazon deliver billions of packages a year. To fill the need for drivers, they may rush or omit the driver training process. In doing so, they put thousands of improperly trained delivery truck drivers on the roadways.

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Finding the Liable Party

Companies that employ delivery truck drivers are generally responsible for the actions of their employees, provided the damage was caused within the scope of the driver’s employment. In determining whether a motor vehicle crash occurred within the scope of employment, juries may be directed to consider:

• Time and location of the accident
• Driver’s intent
• The freedom the driver had to perform job duties as he or she saw fit

If the delivery driver who hit you was driving a company-owned vehicle and working at the time of the crash, it is likely the delivery company is liable for your injuries. However, this may not always be the case. While FedEx and UPS have comprehensive insurance policies for providing compensation to those involved in accidents with their drivers, Amazon does not.

Amazon, excluding their food delivery service, classifies its delivery drivers as third-party workers. This means that the delivery drivers are employed by a smaller company, which is then contracted to Amazon. In case of an Amazon delivery driver being responsible for a collision, Amazon doesn’t have to pay for the damages, even if their policy was directly responsible for the driver’s action. Thankfully, you can still file a claim with the third-party company. But a successful claim requires an experienced Atlanta truck accident attorney.

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Why You Need an Atlanta Truck Accident Lawyer

Delivery truck accidents are complex cases involving multiple potentially liable parties. Our Atlanta personal injury attorneys at Grant Law Office could investigate your accident to determine fault and liability, secure evidence that will support your claim, interview witnesses, and build a strong case based on the facts, while you focus on your health and recovery. Contact us today at (404) 995-3955 if our firm seems like the right choice for you.

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Additional Information

• Amazon’s Dangerous Trucking Policies