Colorado Springs Delivery Driver Accident Attorneys

When You Need a Strong Legal Team

It feels like only yesterday when it would take at least two weeks to receive a package and the best options we had for food was pizza. But now almost all delivery companies offer two-day delivery and nearly every restaurant, café, and ice cream shop delivers through third-party food delivery services. While this influx of options makes day-to-day life more convenient, it also makes our roadways more dangerous.

Delivery accidents can be, and often are, devastating. Drivers feel intense pressure to make deliveries on time or even ahead of schedule. Because of that, they often break traffic laws and regularly drive over the speed limit. These factors mean that when a delivery driver is involved in an accident, it’s rarely just a fender bender.

If you or a loved one have been injured because of a reckless driver, you will need a strong legal team to back you up and get you the compensation you need and deserve. At The Bussey Law Firm, P.C., our Colorado Springs delivery driver accident attorneys have extensive experience investigating serious auto accident claims and advocating for his clients’ best interests. Call us at (719) 475-2555 to schedule a free initial consultation.

Why Delivery Accidents Happen

These days we expect our deliveries to be completed quickly and efficiently. If we order something on a Monday, we want it in our hands by Wednesday. For the most part, delivery companies like Amazon and Fed-Ex are able to keep up with this intense demand. Unfortunately, they do so by pushing their drivers into risky behavior. Drivers, often in delivery vans which are just as risky as passenger vans, have to hustle and move quickly in order to make all of their deliveries on time, and this raises the possibility for dangerous and catastrophic accidents. Common causes of accidents include:

• Overloaded vans
• Speeding
• Lack of proper maintenance for delivery vans
• Driver inexperience with local roads and traffic laws
• Driver inexperience with operating large vehicles

This constant pressure to make deliveries quickly can be even more severe for so-called gig-workers who work for Uber Eats or Postmates. These drivers often have less than an hour to travel to a restaurant, order it, and deliver it, all while dealing with crowded, downtown parking or rush hour traffic. During this time, they could be getting more and more orders added onto their route, further increasing the pressure. While some may reject this additional work, most are incentivized with bonus pay that is hard to pass up if this is your main source of income.

These gig-workers are also rarely required to have more than a Class-C driver’s license, as in the one that all drivers are legally required to possess, and are often left with little to no training. This can result in accidents, which are commonly caused by:

• Speeding
• Driver inexperience with less traveled roads
• Driver distractions such as GPS, delivery app, or messages from customers
• Fatigue brought on by long hours
• Breaking traffic laws, such as not stopping at stop signs or making illegal turns, in order to make deliveries on time
• Illegal parking maneuvers

Delivery accidents are serious and can result in catastrophic injuries. Unfortunately, as the number of delivery apps grows and our patience for deliveries shorten, accidents rates are likely to continue to rise. While we cannot turn back the clock and stop your collision from occurring, we can work with you to build a firm case for compensation from the at-fault delivery company and driver.

Delivery Drivers and Liability

It is not uncommon to hold a company liable if one of their workers caused your crash while on the clock. Many companies that employ drivers have insurance policies for exactly that scenario, and delivery services are no different. However, not all policies are the same, and some may be more expansive than others.

Amazon Delivery: Amazon is a juggernaut when it comes to deliveries, sending out billions of packages a year, and are arguably the ones that made two-day delivery so popular through their Amazon Prime promotions. As such, you may expect that they have a generous liability policy. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Amazon’s contracts clearly outline that their delivery drivers are considered third-party contractors, meaning that you will have to file a claim with the third-party company that actually employed the at-fault driver.

Amazon Grocery: Amazon also decided to dip its toes in the world of food delivery. Thankfully, it runs this program through Whole Foods, which does have a liability policy of up to $1,000,000 in damages for accidents that involve injuries.

Fed-Ex: Federal Express has a policy that generally covers up to $5,000,000 in damages, both for their residential shipments through Fed-Ex Ground and their commercial truck deliveries through Fed-Ex Freight.

UPS: The United Postal Service has a comprehensive liability policy that will cover up to $1,000,000 in damages.

Uber Eats: Uber already had an extensive liability policy for its rideshare service and this policy applies to delivery drivers as well. When the app is on, but the driver is not picking up or dropping off a delivery, they are covered with $50,000 for individuals who are injured, $100,000 in total for injuries, and $25,000 for property damage. If the driver is in the process of picking up and order or making a delivery, then the policy expands to $1,000,000 for damages.

DoorDash and Postmates: The companies DoorDash and Postmates have very similar policies. Both require their drivers have personal auto insurance policies and will make the driver use these policies in the case of an accident. If the damages sustained in the accident surpasses what the driver’s personal insurance can offer, DoorDash and Postmates’ liability policies will then be applied for up to $1,000,000 in damages.

Grubhub and Instacart: Neither Grubhub nor Instacart have liability policies in the case of an accident. This can make it difficult for you to recover damages after an accident with one of their drivers. However, if you have an uninsured motorist policy, you may be able to make a claim with your own insurance provider.

Why Delivery Accidents Are So Dangerous

Delivery drivers are pressured to meet high demands. Amazon reportedly expects its drivers to deliver over 99% of their packages on time. This leaves very little room for error. One wrong turn can result in a driver being reprimanded or even fired. With such intense pressure, it is no wonder that so many drivers speed and make illegal turns. Unfortunately, this means that a wreck with a delivery driver is far more likely to be severe, especially if the vehicle in question is a big-rig truck, like with Fed-Ex Freight.

Common delivery accident injuries include:

• Fractured, broken, or crushed bones
• Amputation or the loss of a limb
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Internal damage
• Skull fractures
• Severe scarring and disfigurement

These injuries will take a great deal of time to heal from, and some will require extensive physical therapy. This could leave you with extensive medical debts, lost wages, and even an inability to work in the future. You should not have to pay for someone else’s negligence. That is why it is so important that you file a claim against the at-fault driver and their company. Your chances of getting a favorable outcome for that claim comes with hiring a knowledgeable and dedicated delivery accident attorney.

You May Need Legal Help

Even if you have a clear-cut case, with 100% of the fault for your accident on the delivery driver, you may still face an uphill battle when filing your claim. Delivery companies care more about making a profit than they do acting responsibly, and the same can be said about their insurance companies. They will likely try to pin the blame on you, and even when pressed, they will offer a lowball settlement. That is why you need an experienced Colorado Springs auto accident attorney who can help you get the compensation you deserve.

We at The Bussey Law Firm, P.C. are in the business of advocating proper and fair compensation on behalf of accident victims. We have years of experience under our belt and know exactly how to get the highest settlement possible. If you or a loved one have been involved in a delivery van accident that was not your fault, contact our firm at (719) 475-2555 to receive the best legal aid in Colorado.