If you or a loved one have suffered serious injuries because of an Amazon delivery truck accident, contact Angel Reyes & Associates to explore your options for monetary compensation. It costs nothing upfront or out-of-pocket to discuss your case in-depth with a Dallas truck accident lawyer at our firm. We will thoroughly review the circumstances of your accident and dig deep into the evidence to identify all parties who might be liable for your accident and therefore on the hook for your damages. Our track record speaks for itself: We have been successful in 98% of the personal injury cases we take on.
San Antonio residents are shopping online and ordering packages to their doorsteps with increasing frequency, like much of America. In fact, an online order is delivered to one in eight Americans every day. Amazon, the nation’s largest e-tailer, delivers some 3.5 billion packages a year.
While they used to rely on carriers like UPS and FedEx to fulfill orders, two-thirds of all deliveries are now made by their own blue Amazon Prime sprinter vans and semi-trucks. The company ramped up to 30,000 vans from 2018-2019 to aid in fulfilling last-minute deliveries. That same year, truck-related fatalities increased 9 percent nationwide.
Were some of these deaths attributed to Amazon delivery trucks? The convenience of Amazon is indisputable, but sharing the road with more delivery trucks will inevitably lead to an uptick in accidents. The question is: what can be done to ensure safety while scaling up deliveries to meet consumer demand?
Texas Amazon Truck Accidents
In Rankin, a man and a mother of two were killed when an Amazon delivery truck slammed into multiple vehicles that had crashed; another man involved in the accident lost his legs after leaping off an overpass to avoid being hit. In San Antonio, an Amazon delivery truck fell off the highway — diverting traffic, scattering debris, and damaging the road. Stories like this are becoming all too common around the country.
Types of Amazon Truck Accidents
Amazon truck accidents may involve:
- Passenger cars
- Big rigs and semi-trucks
- Motorcycles
- Distracted or reckless drivers
- Drunk drivers
- Rear-end collisions
- Texting accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Rollovers
Who Is Liable for an Amazon Truck Crash in San Antonio?
Texas is a fault-based state, meaning that those responsible for causing a commercial vehicle accident are liable to pay for the damages. It is best to speak with an experienced attorney if you’re not sure whether you should sue the company or the driver. While suing the driver may seem like the obvious choice, the driver may not have enough personal funds to cover the cost of your injuries.
Even though Amazon has tried to shield itself from liability, all commercial entities can be held responsible for negligent hiring, training, and retention practices. A skilled delivery truck accident lawyer may be able to trace an Amazon delivery truck crash back to dangerous driving records, drug or alcohol abuse, license suspension, or a known medical condition. Investigations into Amazon’s labor practices revealed a number of potential issues worth exploring through depositions and subpoena.
Potential Factors Leading to an Amazon Delivery Truck Crash
In 2019, ProPublica and BuzzFeed News found that Amazon delivery drivers had been involved in more than 60 crashes causing injury and at least 13 deaths since June 2015. According to ProPublica, “Time after time, internal documents and interviews with company insiders show, Amazon officials have ignored or overlooked signs that the company was overloading its fast-growing delivery network while eschewing the expansive sort of training and oversight provided by a legacy carrier like UPS.”
Potential underlying factors in an Amazon delivery truck crash may include:
- Lack of safety training, particularly for new workers.
- Failing to implement measures that would cap packages and give drivers longer rest breaks.
- Firing auditors who identified exploitative practices.
- Failing to carry enough insurance or provide vehicle maintenance oversight.
- Hiring workers who suffer from night blindness or use marijuana.
- Failing to conduct routine randomized drug screenings once drivers are hired.
- Loading drivers up with too many packages.
- Placing unreasonable expectations on drivers, like requiring 999 out of 1,000 packages to be on time.
- Failing to adhere to federal safety mandates for vehicle inspections, breaks, or hours on the road.
- Using a navigational app that sends drivers on dangerous pathways into left turns and no-stop zones.
How Much Compensation Can I Get From an Amazon Delivery Truck Crash?
Compensation in an Amazon delivery truck crash will depend upon:
- The type and extent of injury
- The clarity of the case for liability
- The amount of tangible losses
Victims and their families are often paid for damages such as:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost past and future wages
- An estimated amount for pain and suffering
- Punitive damages
In the event of a fatal truck accident, a spouse or dependent children can collect additional damages for loss of income, inheritance, guidance, and companionship, as well as funeral and burial costs.
Free Consultations for Amazon Delivery Accident Claims
San Antonio residents are invited to contact Angel Reyes – Reyes Browne Law Firm for a free case review. For more than 30 years, we’ve helped local accident victims obtain the compensation they deserve. We only get paid for our work on Amazon delivery accident claims if we achieve a successful settlement or jury verdict – and we win 98% of the cases we take. We are available to you 24/7, so call to schedule your free consultation at your earliest convenience.
