Can I sue Amazon if my vehicle was hit by an Amazon delivery driver?

Amazon delivery vehicles are everywhere these days, delivering packages to homes and businesses. The drivers are on tight schedules and must deliver on time. The delivery vehicles themselves are typically larger than cars and trucks on the road, and drivers may find themselves trying to locate an address in an unfamiliar neighborhood. For these reasons and others, your vehicle may get into an accident with an Amazon delivery truck.

If you were injured in an accident with an Amazon delivery truck, one of the first questions you may have is whether you can sue Amazon for the damage to your vehicle. This is an important issue and the answer is not simple, as it turns out. New York personal injury attorneys Finz & Finz, P.C. often handle lawsuits involving Amazon deliver trucks. Contact us at 855-TOP-FIRM to discuss your accident and legal needs.

Injured in a Crash with an Amazon Truck? Call a Lawyer Right Away

Are the injuries you and/or your passengers suffered severe enough to result in significant medical bills? Is it possible other injuries will surface later on, perhaps as a result of difficulties in walking, moving, or lifting?

Did the accident result in a significant absence from work? Did you lose wages as a result? Were you unable to perform your original job as you did before the accident, or did you have to modify your assignment in a way that reduced your compensation?

Some accidents are severe and traumatic enough that you may develop anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental illnesses as a result of the accident with an Amazon delivery truck. The trauma may prevent or discourage you from driving a vehicle.

But the most important consideration when deciding whether to pursue a personal injury lawsuit with Amazon is pain and suffering. Amazon delivery trucks are heavier than many vehicles, particularly when they’re loaded. Occupants of vehicles who are injured in accidents with these trucks may have debilitating pain that can distort many aspects of their life, and it is important to have the opportunity to develop a treatment plan that can help alleviate that pain and suffering.

Additionally, Amazon is using larger and larger delivery vehicles that, when they hit your vehicle, can cause much more extensive injuries to you and your passengers. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the discrepancy in size between a truck and a passenger vehicle is a leading factor in the severity of accidents they’re involved in:

• Trucks can be as much as 20 to 30 times heavier than passenger vehicles.
• More severe crash damage, injuries, and fatalities can be due to the huge mass of a truck or bus, which increases the risk.
• The maneuverability and response of a large, loaded truck increase driving challenges, which can contribute to the severity of a crash.
• Trucks and buses accelerate more slowly uphill and may gain speed quickly when going downhill.

What are the Special Challenges for Suing Amazon After a Delivery Truck Accident?

Amazon often hires delivery drivers as independent contractors. Independent contractors can have very different vehicle insurance profiles, which Amazon sees as a benefit to their business. So drivers who get into an accident with an Amazon delivery truck can be perplexed by the role of Amazon in the lawsuit. The specifics of the accident itself may require you to file a lawsuit against the contractor driver instead of Amazon itself. The drivers may not have the kind of personal insurance coverage that can result in an adequate settlement to care for accident-related injuries. If the accident occurs after hours or when the driver is not under Amazon’s control, the company may refuse to accept liability for the accident.

These details are important when filing a claim against Amazon or an independent contractor due to a vehicle accident. Those details are also an important consideration when hiring a personal injury attorney – here at Finz & Finz, P.C., we have a knowledgeable and experienced staff that will give you trained representation for your lawsuit. Your personal injury attorney will manage all communications with the court and the driver’s and Amazon’s attorneys and will protect you from being taken advantage of by those other parties. The attorney will manage and communicate with eyewitnesses, medical experts, and financial representatives involved in your case. Your attorney will also be your representative in any negotiation process related to the accident.

Is Amazon’s Business Model Contributing to Delivery Truck Crashes?

Amazon’s business model requires extensive measurement of virtually every aspect of the service, particularly of delivery data, such as how many packages each driver will deliver and whether the driver is successful at his or her job and should be kept on. Among the data reported for every driver on every route are backup monitoring, speed, braking, acceleration, cornering, seatbelt usage, phone calls, texting, in-van cameras that use artificial intelligence to detect yawning, and more.

Does this micromanagement result in drivers taking more risks to stay on schedule? Some personal injury attorneys are beginning to ask critical questions about Amazon’s delivery algorithms and other management tools that potentially contribute to vehicle accidents as drivers “pushing the envelope” to keep to the schedule. Finz & Finz, P.C. is paying very close attention to the latest research into Amazon’s algorithms and the correlation to vehicular accidents.

Hire a Personal Injury Firm Now to Manage Your Amazon Delivery Truck Accident

Due to the need to interview witnesses, gather all the most valuable information regarding your lawsuit, comply with the statute of limitations (a law that limits the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit after an accident), and other considerations, it is important to start working with an experienced New York City car accident lawyer sooner rather than later. Contact us by phone or reach out to us online today for a free consultation.