As convenient as delivery trucks are when it comes to connecting New Yorkers with companies such as Amazon, Wal-Mart and FreshDirect and to have their purchases brought to their doors quickly, the number of accidents involving delivery trucks are spiking. The demand for delivery services is surging and overworked drivers who are under increasing pressure to complete routes faster are getting increasingly careless when it comes to their driving habits.
Not only are companies hiring more drivers to meet their rapidly rising requirements, but they also fail to properly train and support new drivers. This creates more opportunities for drivers to make mistakes and cause accidents, and the consequences can be devastating, particularly for other drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists who share the road.
Here are three facts you need to know about delivery truck accidents and your rights.
1. A lot of delivery truck accidents are caused by unrealistic deadlines. The stress to meet these 
deadlines may even prove deadly. Even experienced drivers can cause accidents when they are violating speed limits and driving while exhausted and/or stressed out. Some of the common driving behaviors that lead to delivery truck accidents include speeding, fatigued driving, running red lights or stop signs, failure to yield, double parking, driving the wrong way down one-way streets, backing up unsafely and driving while impaired.
2. There are a number of steps you can take to protect your rights after a delivery truck accident. First and foremost, report the accident to the local law enforcement agency. It would be in your best interest to obtain a copy of this report. Your personal injury lawyer can also help you get a copy of your report. Collect as much evidence as you can from the scene of the accident. Take photographs and/or video footage of the accident scene and your injuries. Collect relevant contact details and information from all parties involved. File a report with the delivery company as well. For example, you can file a report with Amazon Logistics if you were involved in a crash with an Amazon delivery truck. This creates a record for the incident.
3. Delivery companies can be held liable for the injuries and damages caused by their employees. If the driver was on the job at the time of the collision and if he or she was driving the company’s truck at the time, the driver and the delivery company can be held liable. The delivery company is also liable for your injuries if the crash occurred because of the company’s negligence (carelessness).
For example, if the truck’s brakes failed because the company had not performed the inspection and maintenance of the vehicle, the company can be held liable as well. It can be quite a challenge in such cases to figure out who is liable and how to present a strong claim. This often requires experience, resources and extensive investigation. A New York City personal injury lawyer who has routinely handled injury cases involving delivery trucks can help guide you through the process and secure maximum compensation for your losses.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Victims who have been injured in New York City auto accidents may be able to seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families of deceased accident victims may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation for damages such as lost future income, funeral costs, medical expenses, pain and suffering, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident involving a delivery truck, or if you have lost a loved one in a motor vehicle accident caused by a negligent or careless driver, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
For over 49 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
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