The increasing popularity of home delivery means you face a greater risk of an accident with a delivery truck every time you go outside. The COVID-19 pandemic created demands from consumers working or staying at home, and freight companies pushed fleets and drivers to meet the need. FedEx Ground drivers delivered approximately 9.9 million packages daily so far in 2022. The company’s revenue of $93.51 billion shows an increase of more than $10 billion over 2021.
The request for drivers to deliver an average of 115 packages every day requires more than 86,000 vehicles. Understanding your options and rights becomes necessary if you receive an injury in an accident with a FedEx delivery truck. A texas attorney can provide the representation you need to receive compensation after an accident.
Meeting the Demand for Deliveries Increases Accidents
News reports of accidents with FedEx delivery trucks show what happens when drivers lose control. Across the country, they cause injuries wherever they occur. They may involve pedestrians as well. For example, a delivery truck lost control and drove onto someone’s yard, pinning an innocent victim under the truck and injuring three others.
In another accident, a FedEx truck failed to stop at an intersection and crashed into a milk truck. The crash sent both drivers to the hospital and spilled almost 6,000 gallons of milk. Crashes can endanger children on the way to school as a recent accident between a FedEx delivery truck and a Leander, Texas school bus.
Recognizing the Damage They Inflict
Fortune Magazine reports on plans by FedEx Corp to improve delivery van safety and lower the costs resulting from truck accidents. Possibly reflecting the need to curtail lawsuits that result from crashes, the company plans to invest more than $100 million in the project.
Some reimbursable expenses that contractors can incur include installing features such as sensors and cameras that alert drivers to other vehicles. A company representative acknowledged a greater focus on vehicle safety even though rising costs of wages and materials affect revenues. In addition to sonar systems that can help prevent collisions that occur from blind spots and backing up, delivery vans must include speed limiters.
Further accident prevention that the improvements may provide includes lane-departure warnings. The new equipment may help drivers avoid forward collisions, sideswiping and turning issues. The company’s sharp increases in deliveries in residential neighborhoods and an increase in drivers may have created the motivation for safety measures. A previous policy change required delivery contractors to install video equipment. Some of the conditions that the FedEx modifications intend to correct may lie at the cause of truck accidents that innocent Texas victims experience. While the awareness of a need to improve safety may prevent some truck accidents, victims experience the consequences until delivery vehicles get the upgrades.
Considering Causes of Truck Accidents
FedEx drivers have nothing that makes them different from any other driver. The same likelihood of dangerous or negligent driving can occur to them as to anyone else. The behaviors that can lead to a crash include ignoring stop lights or stop signs, refusing to yield the right of way, speeding or driving under the influence. However, some differences separate them from drivers of cars and make them more likely to cause an accident.
• failure to turn on hazard lights while parked
• forgetting to engage the parking brake
• reentering traffic without signaling to other drivers
• allowing cargo to spill and cause road hazards
• improperly installed safety equipment
• poorly stacked cargo that unbalances the vehicle
Driver fatigue, while an issue for anyone, has a greater effect when it occurs to FedEx vehicle operators. Pedestrians and automobile drivers experience a greater risk of injury than the drivers of FedEx delivery vans because of the protection the larger vehicle provides. The settlement from a FedEx accident may range in value from $100,000 to $150,000, and compensation awards may produce million-dollar settlements. Many truck cases do not produce a high award, but a Las Vegas jury reached an $8 million verdict for a FedEx truck crash. https://blog.cvn.com/jury-awards-8m-for-fedex-truck-crash-beating-1.8m-settlement-offer
While accidents with delivery drivers can occur for many reasons, some of the most common include these:
1. Fatigue
Busy schedules and long hours can cause drivers to fall asleep while driving.
2. Distractions
Drivers must look up directions and respond to FedEx dispatchers. When inattention at the wheel causes distractions, accidents may occur.
3. Inexperience
Driving a truck provides job opportunities for applicants who may have inadequate training. The demands of driving a truck require knowledge and experience.
4. Lack of vehicle maintenance
A check of brakes, tires, mirrors and lights can contribute to traffic safety or endanger others when drivers neglect proper maintenance.
5. Speeding
One of the most frequent causes of accidents, speeding deprives drivers of the time to respond while driving.
Payouts for accidents with a FedEx delivery truck vary with each lawsuit, but a texas attorney can give you an accurate estimate of your case value. A review of an accident includes the likely cause of your accident, and it considers the damages that you experience as a result. A texas attorney can establish the basis for your lawsuit by determining essential points.
First, every driver on the road has a responsibility to cause no harm to other drivers, cyclists, pedestrians or passengers.
Second, when someone fails to perform responsibly, the law recognizes it as a breach.
Third, the breach of responsibility led to an accident.
Lastly, the accident caused you physical injury.
Factors that can influence the amount of your compensation settlement require consideration.
• Liability
A major factor in determining the value of your settlement concerns who holds responsibility for an accident. When the at-fault driver acted negligently and caused the accident, the compensation may reach a considerable amount. However, when the injured party holds part of the blame, then the amount becomes proportionally smaller.
• Injuries and Medical Expenses
A crash with a delivery truck can produce extreme damage to the body, and the extent of your injuries may influence the settlement amount. Severe injuries that require amputations, produce traumatic brain injuries or cause damage to the spinal cord need immediate and long-term medical treatment, contributing to higher payouts. Likewise, bone fractures and soft tissue injuries may also need rehabilitation and physical therapy for many months or even years. A personal injury can produce financial damages resulting from one or more surgeries, pain medication, hospital care and extended physical therapy sessions. The more extensive use of medical care tends to increase the payout.
In addition, reimbursing the cost of repairs or replacement of your car or other personal possessions can increase the settlement amount.
• Earning Capacity
If your truck accident causes you to miss a lot of time at work, your employer may not choose to pay you for lost days. However, your settlement check may cover your losses from your inability to work. In the extreme loss of earning capacity, compensation may increase to replace future earnings.
• Pain and Suffering
Truck accidents can create emotional experiences that do not produce monetary impacts. They can, however, change the quality of your life and make your enjoyment significantly less. For example, if you face chronic pain, lifelong disabilities or disfiguring scars, the law may allow your compensation to reflect your pain and suffering.
Emotional or mental impacts that often occur after an accident may include fear and anxiety while driving or riding with others. In addition, some accident victims suffer from PTSD and psychological trauma.
Taking Actions After a Crash
Every crash creates a unique situation unlike any others, and you may feel confused and uncertain about what to do. However, taking certain steps if you experience a collision with a delivery truck driver can help a texas attorney provide the representation you deserve.
1. Make sure to notify the police about your accident, especially if law enforcement does not show up at the scene.
2. Request an official to send an ambulance to the crash site.
3. Even if an ambulance does not respond, seek medical treatment as soon as you can. Shock and confusion can prevent you from knowing about injuries that can threaten your life.
4. The delivery driver’s contact information can provide a valuable resource when you file a lawsuit. It may seem difficult to get when you feel dazed and confused or in pain, but you need the driver’s name, insurance data and a FedEx contact number.
Gathering Information
Communication with others at the scene may provide a Texas attorney with information helpful to your case. However, you do not benefit by talking about the accident with the delivery truck driver. Your comments may harm you and cause a reduction in your claim. Establishing liability becomes a legal matter that does not belong at an accident site.
1. Photos of the scene can prove especially helpful if you can safely get some views from different angles.
2. Witnesses who saw the accident may have information that your attorney’s investigators can follow up on later. The name and cell number of each witness may help support your case.
3. Your insurance company needs to know about the crash and that it involves a FedEx driver.
Maintaining Silence
After you retain the services of a texas attorney, you may receive a call from FedEx or their insurance company.
1. Make sure to refer anyone who contacts you to your attorney. While adjusters may seem concerned about you, their business benefits by reducing the amount of your claim. Any information you provide can work against you in a court of law.
2. Avoid agreeing to any offer from anyone on the phone or in person. While an offer to settle may seem good to you, your attorney has the experience to determine its value. If you accept an offer that does not meet your needs, you forfeit the right to seek additional funds.
3. You can count on your Texas attorney to help you, and you can safely share any information with your legal representative. In a free initial consultation, you can get answers to all your questions. Together, you can develop a plan for coping with the impact of a truck accident.