Accidents with Delivery Drivers
With more people shopping online for anything from clothing to groceries to takeout food, the number of delivery drivers on the road has skyrocketed. Delivery trucks and cars are a common sight in every neighborhood. Increased numbers of delivery drivers on the road can mean an increase in accidents.
Common Causes of Delivery Driver Accidents
Delivery drivers are under a great deal of pressure to make deliveries on time which can mean that an individual driver is clocking lots of time and lots of mileage on a given day. Fatigue and frustration can lead to a number of causes of accidents including:
- Drowsy driving caused by too many hours on the road
- Distracted driving caused by the use of GPS and company cell phone apps
- Failing to obey traffic signals
- Speeding in order to get to the delivery destination quickly
- Aggressive driving behavior
- Inexperience driving a delivery vehicle
- Negligent hiring of drivers with bad records
- Unreasonable delivery deadlines
- Poor truck or vehicle maintenance
Who is Responsible for a Delivery Driver Accident?
If you’ve been seriously injured in an accident with a delivery driver and it wasn’t your fault, then who is responsible for your injuries? The answer to this question will depend on the circumstances. If a driver is an independent contractor and essentially works for himself, then they would be the responsible party. However, if a driver is employed by a company and causes an accident while driving for that company, the employer may also be held responsible. Employers are generally held responsible for the negligent conduct of their employees. Companies such as FedEx and UPS usually hire drivers as employees, who drive company trucks. Drivers who work with companies such as Instacart and Grubhub are generally independent contractors who operate their own vehicles.
Under certain circumstances, a claim may be brought directly against the employer of the delivery driver. This is the case if the negligence of the employer is a substantial factor in causing the accident. If an employer, for instance, engages in negligent hiring and fails to vet its drivers before allowing them to operate delivery vehicles, that employer may be liable.
Contact a Trusted Personal Injury Attorney
Determining liability in a delivery driver accident can be complicated, so if you’ve been seriously injured in an accident, it’s important that you consult with an experienced personal injury attorney. Schedule a free consultation trusted lawyers at Abrahamson & Uiterwyk online or call us at 1-800-538-4878 today.