If you’ve tried to drive across Philadelphia recently you might’ve noticed that the city’s gridlock issues haven’t moved an inch. The commuters and school traffic make morning and afternoon rush-hour a mess.
Adding fleets of trucks to rush-hour was never going help the problem, but that’s what the doorstep delivery explosion has done. Delivery vans and trucks and cars travel Philadelphia streets all day long. The home dropoff is an amazing convenience, but local drivers have probably noticed seeing a UPS truck around every corner.
UPS Trucks and Dangerous Road Hazards
The big brown trucks and vans are iconic road fixtures. We like the thought of ordering anything at any time, but the added traffic increases the risks on the highways. Distracted drivers cause many accidents, and a UPS Driver has many distractions to take their attention off the road.
United Parcel Service INC has almost 126,000 vehicles running on our roads. They employe around 118,000 drivers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that in a two-year period ending July 2020 UPS drivers collected 1,856 unsafe driving violations and were involved in almost 1,600 accidents.
The threats to other motorists are magnified by the large, heavy vehicles they drive. When loaded they can weigh almost double what an SUV weighs. Any collision is going to create what can be a deadly mismatch and can cause devastating injuries for a driver and any passengers in a car.
Distracted UPS Drivers on the Clock
UPS drivers work hard and are pushed hard to meet deadlines. The usual motorists on the way to work can be distracted by almost anything, but when drivers are on the job they can get focused on meeting a quota and safety can get ignored.
UPS Trucks have little black boxes that monitor a driver’s trips. They can record speeds, when the truck is started up, and every time the doors open and closed. All of these checks can create pressure that can lead to more distractions:
- Reckless Driving – A driver can be fatigued from work or personal stress. Their minds can wander from the task of safe driving.
- Speeding to Make Deadlines – This pressure of same-day and next-day deliveries can lead to dangerous decisions on the freeway.
- Distracted by Payload – Drivers can have a van or truck filled to capacity, obstructing vision, and possibly causing them to miss spotting other vehicles on the road. Those packages can spill too, causing a distraction.
- Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol: Normal drivers are considered to be DUI if they have a blood alcohol content of .08. Delivery drivers are held to a higher standard while on the job. They can’t be over .04 BAC.
Delivery Trucks Common Accident Injuries
A motorist can be moving along next to a giant delivery truck and because of a careless move by a UPS driver be forced into an unavoidable crash. The injuries can be severe and leave you permanently disabled. The recovery can be expensive and painful and leave you unable to attend your job to try to help pay your medical bills.
Here are some of the most common injuries that result from a collision with a bigger vehicle.
- Traumatic brain injuries: From severe concussions to brain damage, head injuries can leave permanent damage.
- Neck injuries: Thoracic Spine Injury (whiplash) disc nerve and ligament damage that can be debilitating and painful.
- Mid and lower back injuries: Lumbar injuries, lower back, sciatica, disc damage can all come from a back injury.
- Fractures: From hairline to compound, fractures are common in car accidents and can cause great pain and temporary or permanent disability.
- Soft tissue injuries: muscles, tendons and ligaments, and significant pain with limited range of motion.
Compensation in a UPS Accident
A claim against a UPS driver may be necessary to get all of your bills and other losses recovered. UPS carries one million dollars in auto liability insurance for its drivers. That may be part of your claim. If there was a malfunction with the vehicle, the truck’s manufacturer may also be held liable.
Pennsylvania State law allows accident victims up to two years to file a claim for damages. It is not recommended that you wait until the end of this deadline to file. The longer you wait to file a lawsuit the harder it will be to gather evidence, contact witnesses, and collect documents you’ll need to build a strong case against UPS.
If you do decide to file a claim against a delivery company you may be able to get compensation for some of your hardships that you hadn’t considered. It is possible to recover costs for medical bills and any lost wages now and in the future. A claim might earn you money towards counseling and psychological services. It can cover travel costs and any extended rehab treatment you may need.
Contact a Philadelphia UPS Accident Lawyer
If you’ve been injured in an accident caused by a UPS driver you will need to make sure your financial and medical care needs are covered now and in the future. Filing a claim against a gigantic company will leave you facing their insurance agents and a team of lawyers. You’ll need an experienced attorney on your side when they attempt to diminish your case and pay you as little as possible for your traumatic experience.
After any accident involving a serious injury, contact a highly rated Philadelphia Delivery Truck Accident Lawyer such as Edith Pearce. Unlike the huge firms with many different attorneys handling different aspects of your case, Edith Pearce is personally involved in every case that we handle. She genuinely cares about her clients and you will not be treated like just another case or file.