Accidents With Delivery Trucks

Posted in Truck Accidents on December 3, 2019

When you are out on the roadway, there is one type of vehicle you probably see each day – delivery trucks. These trucks have become one of the most common commercial vehicles on the roadways, and their numbers increase each day. With the rapid rise of online shopping, delivery trucks are the last leg of the journey for many of our packages. However, these vehicles can also lead to serious crashes.

Accidents with delivery trucks are more common than most people realize, and many people wonder who can be held liable in the aftermath of a crash.

What causes delivery truck crashes?

You see the major names everywhere – UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS. Soon, you will likely see Amazon package delivery trucks. However, these vehicles can weigh tens of thousands of pounds. Compare that to a 4,000-pound passenger vehicle, and you can see how a crash could result in a serious injury.

Some of the most common causes of delivery truck crashes include:

  • Inclement weather
  • Improperly loaded trucks
  • Poor truck maintenance and failure to perform routine maintenance
  • Poor driver training or no driver training
  • Speeding
  • Driver distraction and inattention
  • Driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol
  • Driver fatigue

When looking at that list, it is clear that many delivery truck crashes are preventable.

Who can be held liable for delivery truck crashes?

If these accidents are largely preventable, it begs the question – who can be held liable for a crash? Someone should be responsible for covering the expenses of those injured. There are various parties who could be responsible, including:

  • Truck driver. If a driver failed to follow traffic laws and caused a crash, they could be liable. It could be shown that the driver was fatigued, impaired, distracted, or speeding at the time of a crash.
  • Truck company. The company that owns the truck or who contracted with the truck driver could be held liable for failing to properly train their drivers or for not properly inspecting the vehicle. In many cases, companies pressure drivers to operate unsafely to ensure packages get delivered on time.
  • Truck manufacturer. If a truck was improperly manufactured and a defect causes a crash, the company that made the vehicle could be responsible for damages and injuries caused in a crash.
  • Truck maintenance company. Many truck companies use third-party maintenance companies to inspect and maintain their vehicles. If these maintenance companies fail to properly do their job, they risk putting an unsafe truck on the roadway.

What are common delivery truck crash injuries?

Delivery trucks are large vehicles. When they are involved in an accident with smaller vehicles, they can cause severe injuries. It is not uncommon for those involved in delivery truck accidents to suffer from the following injuries:

  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Broken or dislocated bones
  • Loss of or damage to bodily organ
  • Dismemberment or amputation
  • Significant disfigurement

Victims who sustain these injuries require immediate and extensive medical care. In many cases, a delivery truck crash victim will not be able to work while they recover and could lose the income they need to support themselves and their families.

It is vital that a delivery truck crash victim receive the compensation they are entitled to. A truck crash attorney will be able to prove liability in these cases and work to ensure crash victims are treated fairly.