Delivery Truck Accidents
Ordering something from Amazon is simple, but have you ever considered the steps it takes to get to your door? After leaving the fulfillment center, your package has to be delivered by truck. Given the number of packages that need to be delivered, it should come as no surprise that accidents can happen.
Salt Lake City, UT attorney Lynn C. Harris has helped countless clients who’ve been involved in commercial truck accidents and collisions. Let’s take a moment to consider the risk of delivery truck accidents and why these types of crashes occur.
Delivery Vehicles and Package Statistics
First, let’s provide a sense of scale when it comes to delivery vehicles and packages.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) estimates there were more than 146 billion pieces of mail delivered in 2018; of that number, 6.2 billion were shipped packages. Across the country in 2018, 232,372 USPS delivery vehicles traveled 231,843 delivery routes to get people their packages and mail.
The numbers are different for United Parcel Service (UPS). According to a 2018 piece in the publication Automotive Fleet, UPS had a fleet of 119,000 delivery vehicles in 2017. At the time of that piece, UPS averaged 8.95 vehicle accidents for every 100,000 hours of driving.
Causes of Delivery Truck Crashes
The causes of delivery truck crashes are similar to those our Salt Lake City law firm sees in other kinds of auto collisions involving large vehicles. These include:
- Large blind spots
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
- Aggressive driving
- Failure to observe the right of way
- Driver fatigue
We should also note that the pressure to deliver so many packages each day (especially priority mail and parcels with expedited shipping) may cause delivery drivers to act negligently behind the wheel. The convenience and savings of online shopping from places like Amazon have only increased package volume over the last two decades.
Delivery Driver and Company Negligence
When accidents occur, it’s important to consider if the crash was the result of negligence by the driver and/or negligence by the company the driver works for.
If a delivery driver is negligent, this is typically the result of actions behind the wheel that directly cause a collision. The delivery company may also be negligent if they have not properly maintained their fleet of vehicles or if they have overexerted their drivers by forcing them to work long hours without a break.
Negligence During the Hiring Process
There may have also been negligence during the hiring process that has to be taken into account. If a potential vehicle driver has a poor driving record, medical issues that make operating a vehicle unsafe, or a history of on-the-job accidents, these issues should raise red flags. Hiring a driver with all of these warning signs puts people at risk for serious injuries.
Other Factors Contributing to a Delivery Vehicle Accident
In addition to the above factors, road conditions and poor weather can also increase the risks of crashes. Poor traction, potholes, and slippery surfaces may increase the risks of crashes and rollovers with these large vehicles.
Whatever the case may be, the people of Salt Lake City should consider speaking with a skilled auto accident attorney about their collision. We can help seek legal damages for the losses sustained during a crash.
Contact Lynn C. Harris
To learn more about your legal options following a collision with a delivery vehicle, be sure to schedule a legal consultation with a truck accident lawyer. Lynn C. Harris can be reached by phone at (801) 521-3200.
