While Amazon delivery drivers often use their trucks to deliver much-anticipated packages to eager customers, these drivers sometimes offer less welcome surprises. Unfortunately, Amazon delivery trucks are often involved in very serious and even fatal accidents.
If you suffered injuries during an accident with an Amazon delivery truck, an attorney will fight for the compensation you deserve. If you have tragically lost a loved one, you can also hire a truck accident lawyer in Riverhead to seek justice for your loss. In either case, an attorney will demand that one or more liable parties cover the cost of your accident.
The Scope of Amazon Delivery Trucks Makes Accidents Inevitable
The Amazon truck fleet includes more than 100,000 electric vans in addition to tens of thousands of other delivery vehicles. 275,000 drivers contract for Amazon daily.
With a fleet of such immense size, accidents by Amazon-affiliated truck drivers are inevitable. When an accident involving an Amazon truck affects you, consider both your health and the importance of securing fair compensation for accident-related damages.
What to Do After an Amazon Delivery Truck Hits You
First step: Ensure you’re safe from serious health problems.
The force of an Amazon delivery truck hitting you (or your vehicle) may cause severe injuries, so:
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible
- Explain to the doctor the circumstances of your accident, describing specifically how your body responded and any symptoms you are experiencing
- Request a comprehensive examination
- Ask whether medical imaging (such as X-rays) can be necessary to diagnose injuries
- Request a written diagnosis of accident-related damages
- Request a copy of any medical imaging you have completed
Keep copies of all accident-related medical bills and records, as these will be vitally important to an insurance claim or lawsuit.
Second step: Hire a truck accident lawyer to pursue your financial recovery.
Your next priority is finding a lawyer once you have taken care of your health. Truck accident cases can be more complicated than most, and your case may also involve expensive damages. At the very least, you should speak with an attorney about how they can help.
How Do I Find a Truck Accident Lawyer After My Collision?
There are several ways to find a trustworthy truck accident lawyer, including:
- Through recommendations from family, friends, coworkers, or others you know
- By contacting any law firm you have previously used in a traffic accident case
- Through online research
- By acting on local advertisements
Once you identify law firms you are considering to lead your case, complete free consultation with each.
These consultations are your chance to:
- Find out more information about the firm
- Ask the firm if it has handled any Amazon truck accident cases
- Ask the firm’s representative why you should hire them to lead your case
- Find out the next steps in your case, should you proceed with the firm
- Gauge the type of client service the firm offers
A free consultation is akin to a preview of how the law firm will treat you. Take advantage of these consultations, as there is no cost, and you can learn much about a firm through a single phone call.
Qualities to Seek in a Truck Accident Lawyer
As you identify the final list of law firms that you may hire to lead your case, consider whether those firms:
- Give a positive impression during your consultation: Most truck accident lawyers offer a preview to their clients, and it’s called a free consultation. During this no-cost, obligation-free phone call, ask any question you believe is relevant and gauge whether the firm’s answers hit the mark.
- Have a history of winning truck accident cases: If a law firm has won many truck accident cases, you may have confidence that it can win again for you. There is much to say about experience in the personal injury field, so seek a law firm with plenty of it.
- Have positive reviews from former clients: You can consult Google Reviews and any other forums that publish reviews of the law firms you are considering. Consider both the positive and negative reviews about the firm and gauge how clients generally feel about the firm’s results and client service.
- Have a contingency fee structure: Law firms that offer a contingency fee structure cover the cost of their clients’ cases. While this fee structure is the norm for truck accident cases, you should confirm that a law firm uses contingency fees before signing on the dotted line.
You deserve a law firm that meets all your criteria. Above all else, seek a lawyer with a track record of results and a commitment to client service.
Can I Sue Those Responsible for My Amazon Delivery Truck Accident?
Suing may be an option after a truck accident with an Amazon delivery driver. However, Amazon understands the risk of having so many drivers on the road at any given time. Therefore, the company has taken painstaking measures to protect itself from liability.
Even if your truck accident lawyer does not sue Amazon, they may consider suing other liable parties, including:
The Truck Driver
Every driver has a duty to operate with due care. When a truck driver engages in behavior that leads to an accident, they may be personally liable for their victims’ damages.
A Non-Amazon Trucking Company
If a trucking company that contracts for Amazon is liable for your accident, your attorney may sue that company.
You can hold trucking companies liable for:
- Hiring unfit drivers
- Failing to monitor their drivers
- Failing to discipline (and possibly terminate) dangerous drivers
- Failing to service and replace defective vehicles
- Failing to test drivers for drug and alcohol use
A trucking company may be liable for any accident merely because its employee caused the collision. Your attorney will review the facts of your case and determine whether suing a trucking company is a logical strategy.
A Truck Manufacturer
If a defect in the Amazon delivery truck caused the accident, you can hold the vehicle manufacturer liable for the resulting damages.
Cargo Loaders
If unsafe cargo contributed to your accident, you can hold the company that loaded the cargo liable for your accident.
A Municipality
You can hold a city liable when a truck accident results from:
- Cracked or uneven driving surfaces
- A hazardous work zone
- Defective traffic signals
- Lack of signage (like stop signs and yield signs) where necessary
- Fallen signage
- Inadequate lighting
Any dangerous road condition contributing to a truck accident can be a municipality’s fault.
If any other party is liable for your Amazon delivery truck accident, your attorney will identify them and build a case for your financial recovery.
Amazon Requires Extensive Insurance for All Its Drivers
Minimum insurance for Amazon cargo carriers should extend to drivers who cause a truck accident.
Contracted truck drivers (perhaps via employers) must have:
- Auto Liability Insurance of at least $300,000 per accident, with coverage depending upon what they are transporting
- Cargo coverage of at least $100,000
Third-party contractors must also have general liability insurance, which may or may not factor into your case. Your attorney will review all insurance policies that apply to your case as they seek the compensation you deserve.
A truck accident lawyer will review all applicable insurance policies as they determine how to seek the compensation you deserve.
Recoverable Damages for Victims of Amazon Delivery Truck Accidents
Every truck accident lawyer must secure compensation that covers their client’s damages. Therefore, your attorney will create an itemized account of your accident-related damages, which may include:
Healthcare Expenses
Truck accident victims may need extensive medical treatment.
The cost of your medical bills may depend on:
- The specific injuries you have suffered
- The severity of your injuries
- Whether any of your injuries are disabling
- The specific treatment plan a doctor prescribes
- Whether you need surgery
Your lawyer will total the cost of your medical care and project the cost of any future medical services you will require.
Pain and Suffering
Truck accidents impose non-economic costs, and pain and suffering is one of the most common.
Pain and suffering can include:
- Immediate pain from injuries
- Chronic pain
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Lost quality of life
- Scarring and disfigurement
You may need an expert to diagnose your pain and suffering, detail a treatment course, and value the cost of your symptoms and treatment. A truck accident lawyer will arrange and cover these expert services for you.
Work Losses
Your attorney will seek fair compensation for any professional damages resulting from your Amazon truck accident, including:
- Lost income (which can be substantial if your injuries prevent you from working for prolonged periods)
- Lost chances to earn bonuses and promotions
- Diminished earning power (which happens when someone resumes working but cannot work at full capacity)
- Loss of benefits
The cost of your work losses will depend on the details of your work, the severity of your injuries, whether you can return to work, and other factors.
Mental Health Treatment Costs
Those who seek counseling, medications, or other treatment for their pain and suffering should receive compensation to cover that treatment. Your attorney will include all accident-related mental health treatment costs in your case.
Property Costs
Auto accidents can leave victims with multiple property-related expenses, including the cost of:
- Replacing a totaled vehicle
- Repairing a salvageable vehicle
- Replacing phones, clothing, accessories, and any other items damaged during the accident
- Ubers, taxis, a rental vehicle, or other temporary transportation
- Any medical equipment you need for accident-related damages
If another party caused your accident, you shouldn’t have to pay. Your lawyer will work hard to ensure that those who caused the accident pay for the accident.
What a Truck Accident Attorney Will Do for You
Your truck accident lawyer will take your case off your hands, handling every responsibility your case demands. Though each case has its own unique features and demands, expect your lawyer to:
Deal with Insurers (Including Amazon’s)
Insurance companies can provide much-needed compensation for their policyholders and third parties.
However, insurance companies also have their own financial interests to consider, and your lawyer will:
- Ensure that no insurance representative can violate your rights or jeopardize your financial recovery
- Handle all communications with insurance companies
- Provide proof of your damages
- Negotiate a settlement with insurers
Though most truck accident cases settle, a settlement does not always come easy. Allow your lawyer to fight for insurance companies to pay the settlement you deserve.
Secure All Relevant Evidence
Attorneys must build a case proving who is at fault for an Amazon delivery truck evidence.
Useful evidence may include:
- Video footage.
- Witness accounts.
- Black-box data from the truck.
- Work logs from the trucking company.
- Expert testimony about who is at fault.
Prepare a Settlement Calculation (Along with Documentation)
Your lawyer will calculate exactly how much money your truck accident has cost you. They will obtain proof of your accident-related damages (such as medical records) and negotiate with liable parties.
Obtain a Settlement or Go to Court
Your lawyer will first seek a fair settlement, presenting their most convincing case to liable parties. If those parties refuse to offer a fair settlement, your attorney may take your case to trial.
Why Should You Always Hire a Truck Accident Attorney After an Amazon Truck Crash?
There are many reasons why having the right attorney is key to your claim’s success, including:
- Amazon, insurance companies, or other liable parties will have lawyers of their own
- Insurance companies take advantage of unrepresented claimants
- You might have no idea how to even begin a claim, as it is a complex process
- You are likely not physically, psychologically, or emotionally able to handle a legal case
- You need the financial and practical support a law firm provides
- You place value on a lawyer’s experience, knowledge, and ability to give your case constant attention
Hire an Amazon Delivery Truck Accident Attorney as Soon as Possible
Don’t wait to hire an Amazon delivery truck accident lawyer. The deadline for filing your case might approach soon, so find your attorney as soon as you can.
