If an Amazon delivery van has hit you, you should seek medical attention, document the crash, and contact an attorney immediately to negotiate compensation.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has seen an increase in online purchases. There are also more delivery vans on the road, trying to ensure that packages are delivered to people at the right time. In a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development survey, more than half of the respondents shopped online more frequently in 2020.
While a quick delivery is good news for people sitting down at home, waiting for their purchases, it might not be suitable for road users. An Amazon delivery van in a hurry to deliver goods might end up hitting other vehicles on the road. According to the National Safety Council, large trucks accounted for 10 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 2019.
If you are in this sort of situation, you should contact an attorney immediately.
What To Do After an Accident With an Amazon Delivery Truck
If an Amazon van crashes into your car in Boston, you should take the following steps.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
If you get into an accident, the first thing to do is to ensure that you are physically fine. You should do the same if an Amazon delivery truck hits your car in Boston. Do a quick check. Ensure that you do not have any injury.
If you have been injured or feel different from the impact of the hit, you should seek medical attention immediately. After the hospital visit, you must ensure that you keep all records from your doctor’s visit. This includes a copy of your bills, test results, and diagnosis if any.
Report to the Police
If you are in a crash with an Amazon delivery truck, you should call the police from the accident scene if you can. If you cannot, you can also report to the police station as soon as possible.
The law requires the police to investigate any accident that involves a death or injury. They will also investigate if a delivery driver fails to stop and exchange particulars. The record of your call and the crash report will come in handy when it is time to claim compensation.
Document the Location of the Crash
If you get into an accident involving an Amazon delivery van, documentation will be what proves your claims. You should take pictures and record a video of the location of the vehicles involved in the accident. If you can mention the date and time or use a timestamp, it would also be helpful.
Document All Damages
If the crash damaged one or more vehicles, you should also document it. Take pictures of major and minor damages. Whether it is a fender bender, windscreen crack, or a totaled car, a photo will help to prove your case.
Follow Your Doctor’s Orders
If you sustained major injuries from the accident and needed medical treatment, you should follow the doctor’s orders. Do not stop treatment halfway or ignore the doctor’s orders. This is important because your medical treatment records prove that you sustained injuries or damages in the accident.
Not following the doctor’s orders for treatment might be an indication that you feel better. The at-fault party’s insurance company can take advantage of that and try to reduce your compensation.
Seek Medical Help from Specialists
Sometimes, you could sustain injuries or damages that need special medical attention. The compensation that you should receive from the at-fault party should cover this. So, do not hesitate to seek out specialized medical help.
This could include physical therapy, counseling, etc. Like your visit to the doctor, ensure that you document details of these. You will need to have them on hand when you’re making your compensation claims.
Consult an Experienced Injury Attorney
You should never go into a negotiation with the other driver’s insurance carrier without getting the complete picture. Consulting with an experienced injury attorney is one of the best steps to take if you were in an accident. A professional car accident attorney will leave no stone unturned to make sure that your claims are solid. They have the right experience, the resources and staffing for research, and experience negotiating with insurers.
Be Careful About Giving Recorded Statements
You might want to speak to insurers just to be sure about what to do after the accident. However, you should not give recorded statements to insurers until you have talked to your attorney. Sometimes, insurers could coax you into making the accident seem like it was your fault. This gets their client and, in turn, themselves off the hook.
You don’t want to end up receiving little to no compensation for an accident that you did not cause. This is why you should speak to your lawyer first. They will help you decide what to say that will not have negative implications on your case.
Speak to Witnesses
If there are any witnesses at the accident scene, it is a good idea to speak to them. You should collect their contact details and try to account for what they saw at the accident scene. In quite a few cases, eyewitness accounts have been the determining factor for receiving compensation.
Who Is Responsible For Amazon Delivery Van Crashes?
When you are involved in an accident with an Amazon delivery truck, you might be wondering who you can hold responsible. It can be one or more of the following parties:
- The Delivery Van Driver
If the accident is the direct fault of the driver, you can file an insurance claim against them. Also, if the driver is an independent contractor and not an employee of the delivery company, you can file against them. You can decide you receive the compensation that the driver’s insurance company offers you or file a lawsuit.
It is essential to speak to a lawyer before you decide to accept or reject a compensation offer. An experienced accident lawyer would know the average amount you should get for your injury and the damage you experienced.
- Amazon
The owner of the company also has a responsibility for its employees’ actions. If one of the Amazon drivers intentionally or unintentionally crashes into your vehicle, you might be able to hold Amazon accountable.
Amazon offers a service called Amazon Flex to get on-demand contract drivers for package delivery. Think of it as an Uber for Amazon deliveries. It is available in large cities like Boston and New York City. If an Amazon Flex driver hits your car, you might be able to claim compensation from Amazon Flex for the damages.
- A Third Party
Sometimes a third party is responsible for the accident. This might include the vehicle manufacturer or the manufacturer of a spare part in the vehicle. In this case, you can claim compensation from this third party along with the driver and Amazon.
If you’re not sure who you can hold responsible for your accident, a personal injury lawyer will help clarify.
How To File a Claim Against Amazon
If you would like to file a claim against Amazon, here are the steps you need to take.
- Contact an Injury Attorney: Every accident case is different. An experienced personal injury lawyer knows the legal issues involved in your accident. The lawyer will also find facts that you may have ignored to ensure that the at-fault party compensates you for damages.
- Investigate: After speaking to an attorney and establishing that you have a case, the next step is investigation. Your attorney will very likely investigate the case to strengthen your claim. This investigation might include speaking to witnesses and unearthing reports and accounts of the accident. It might also involve looking for precedents to determine if the driver or the company was previously in a similar case.
- Negotiation and Case Settlement: This is the most critical step. You will need an experienced attorney to negotiate the proper settlement for your case. This step will most likely include a back and forth between your lawyer and the insurers. However, the outcome should be favorable for you. If the settlement that the insurers offer is not fair enough, you might need to sue them.
What Compensation Can I Get?
If the Amazon delivery van is at fault, their insurers will need to pay you compensation for any harm you suffered. Compensation usually comes in economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are the financial losses you incurred from the crash. These are quantifiable, and you can account for them. Economic damages cover things like property damage, medical bills, and rehabilitation costs. It also covers lost wages and loss of earning capacity.
Non-economic losses cover intangible losses. These losses are not quantifiable and, therefore, cannot be calculated. A jury evaluates these damages during a lawsuit and decides what compensation you can get for it. Examples of non-economic damages are pain and suffering, emotional distress. Disfigurement and temporary and permanent disabilities are also under non-economic damages.
Punitive damages are another form of compensation one can get when involved in an accident. However, it is rare for the court to award these in a company truck accident case. Unlike economic and non-economic damages, punitive damages do not compensate the victim for harm. Instead, the jury awards this to punish the at-fault party for recklessness. The court grants this based on the severity of the case.
Schedule a Free Consultation With a Lawyer
Accidents with any vehicle can be severe. However, they can be more severe if a delivery truck is involved. If you or anyone you know is involved in an accident caused by an Amazon delivery van, contact us immediately.
Our experienced personal injury lawyers will work with you to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve. You do not have to worry about not having enough money to hire a lawyer. Our initial consultations are free. We also do not charge for representation until you receive your compensation. Schedule a free consultation today to get started.
