This time of year seeing a UPS or Fed Ex truck on the road is a common occurrence. Driver’s delivering packages this time of year are often under a lot of pressure. In my house, those delivery men and women are called “Santa’s little helpers” because they’re the real heroes of the Christmas package delivery game, not those elves. UPS expects to deliver more than 700 million packages this holiday season, with 13 of 21 holiday shipping day to exceed 30 million packages a day. https://pressroom.ups.com/pressroom/ContentDetailsViewer.page?ConceptType=PressReleases&id=1477506556294-677. Fedex does not expect to be quite as busy as UPS, although they still predict record deliveries of around around 325 million packages this holiday season. http://www.businessinsider.com/ups-fedex-holiday-shipping-plan-new-technology-2016-11. All told, that is around 1 billion packages traveling around the country in large semi-trucks and delivery trucks. That is a lot of packages and a lot of driving.
This time of year it seems like every where you go, you see a Fedex or UPS vehicle delivering package. Those drivers are everywhere. You see them traveling in and around our local highways all day and into the night, often working very long hours and driving in upwards of 50-100 miles per day to drop off their hundreds of shipments. It is a tough job with long hours, lots of driving, and a lot of stress. With such a vast number of drivers on the roads this time of year, that leads to one absolute certainty: accidents.
Accidents with delivery drivers happen for a variety of reasons. It could be human error, or it could be some outside factor. Here is a list of some common causes of accidents with delivery truck during the holiday season:
- Speeding to get to the next delivery;
- Distracted Driving – texting, eating, sleeping, or really anything that takes your eyes off of the road;
- Failing to follow established guidelines and regulations related to driving an 18-wheeler or delivery trucks;
- Sudden stops;
- Failure to obey traffic laws;
- Driver fatigue, and intoxication (it happens);
- Driver inexperience and inadequate training is particularly common this time of year because these companies hire large numbers of seasonal workers in order to accommodate the increased shipments;
- Failure to maintain control of the vehicle, such as driving to quickly under the circumstances, or driving too closely to the vehicles in front of them;
- Defective equipment, such as tire blowout, brake failure, or some mechanism within the vehicle due to poor vehicle maintenance, wear and tear, or a defective part;
- Poorly secured cargo is a huge problem. If the truck takes a quick turn and the cargo is poorly secured, or the truck is overfilled, the truck may become a risk for a rollover as the weight of the cargo shifts to one side during a turn;
- Poor road and weather conditions, especially when combined with another factor, such as poor load security, or failing to maintain control of the vehicle. These types of situations quite often lead to injury accidents, or worse.
If you have been injured in an accident with a delivery truck driver there are several steps you need to take. First, if the accident has just happened, call 911 and seek any medical treatment necessary. Even if you don’t think your hurt “that bad”, do not try to tough it out. That could affect your ability to seek compensation later. Get yourself medical treatment.
The next thing you need to worry about, if the accident was the driver’s fault, you need to speak with an attorney here at Guest and Gray. We will evaluate your case, and talk to you about your options. It is never a good idea to speak to insurance companies about what happened until you have spoken with an attorney. In cases where there have been injuries, the insurance company is going to try and limit their liability all that they can. They will try to trick you into thinking their initial offer is the best you can get. It most certainly is not, especially if you have ongoing medical treatment and/or physical therapy. Here at Guest and Gray, we will put a case action plan in place for your case.
About Our Firm:
Guest and Gray, P.C. is an experienced litigation team serving all North Texas counties. We are the largest and highest rated law firm in Rockwall and Kaufman County. We regularly pursue and defend various civil litigation claims, including personal injury claims. Our practice is quickly growing, and we have offices in the Dallas, Rockwall and Forney area to provide convenience to our clients. We are longtime faces in our community and we love what we do. We seek to provide an air of calm and confidence for our clients during a difficult time. We believe that makes us a little bit different from everybody else, and we like it that way.
For more information, or if you are seeking legal advice, give us a call at (972) 564-4644.