Have you suffered injuries and other damages caused by an accident involving an Amazon delivery driver? If so, you can seek financial compensation for your harm. These cases are complex because determining who is at fault or responsible for all or part of the collision can be difficult. For this reason, many people injured by Amazon vehicles hire an experienced personal injury attorney to work on their behalf.

Our Amazon accident lawyers will investigate the case, collect crucial evidence, speak to witnesses, and file your claim. While recovering from your injuries, our team will build a strong case for your compensation. With our help, you can recover money to pay your medical bills, hospitalization expenses, lost wages, the cost of future medical care, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and pain and suffering.

Learn more about Amazon vehicle accidents below.

Table of Contents

• Why So Many Amazon Delivery Accidents Lately?
• Training and Tracking Packages
• Amazon Faces Multiple Lawsuits
• Amazon is Ignoring the Need for Safety Training
• Amazon Drivers are Treated Shamelessly
• The Pressure of Being an Amazon Delivery Driver
• Fatal Amazon Delivery Accidents
• Amazon Blames Contractors for Accident Injuries
• Amazon Fights to be Held Harmless for Accidents
• Who Pays in an Accident with a Subcontractor for Amazon?
• Were You Injured by an Amazon Delivery Truck?
• How an Attorney Can Help
• Amazon Delivery Accident FAQs

Why So Many Amazon Delivery Accidents Lately?

Amazon is now the biggest retailer in the United States, with its own delivery network of vans, smaller delivery trucks, and sub-contractors. Amazon provides quick delivery times to customers as part of its expanding business model. Amazon’s obsession with speedy delivery and low-operating costs is at the root of a mushrooming problem – safety. In the past few years, Amazon delivery trucks have been involved in numerous fatal and non-fatal crashes across the country. The company refuses to adequately train its drivers and pushes for even faster delivery times, forcing them to take risks. Let’s look at how Amazon structures its delivery network, its failure to train drivers, and how this affects pedestrians and everyone driving a motor vehicle.

In 2018, Amazon shipped nearly five billion packages. To do this, it had thousands of drivers around the country who picked up parcels at delivery hubs. Some of the delivery persons for Amazon are Flex drivers who are considered independent contractors and use their own vehicles. Most drivers work through contracts with delivery service partners (DSP) or third-party providers. Amazon controls the routes, the drivers, and the merchandise, while the DSP is in charge of the driver’s wages, health benefits, and vehicle maintenance.

Amazon is responsible for training the drivers, and the company also ensures that drivers are moving the merchandise effectively. To keep tabs on deliveries, Amazon gives its delivery contractors “rabbits,” small devices that track the drivers. Aside from monitoring the driver’s movement along a route, the rabbits also scan packages and help with navigation. Rabbits are also used to weed out drivers who are not moving fast enough. According to Business Insider, drivers are pressured to make deliveries quicker and admitted they ran red lights and drove at high speeds to do this.

In the following video, a producer from Inside Edition goes undercover to deliver Amazon packages and shows how drivers are pressured to deliver packages on time.

Because of the tight control Amazon has over driver routes and duties, the company’s insistence on having no legal responsibility is being challenged in multiple lawsuits. Many contractors deal exclusively with Amazon. Since Amazon controls operations and whether a driver will be fired, this intervention may place them in a position of liability regarding traumatic injuries and fatalities.

Safety training is mandatory for most delivery drivers. Due to the number of fatal accidents involving Amazon drivers in 2018, the company advanced a proposal to provide more training to drivers. The plan was for drivers to go through a five-day rigorous training protocol on the road, evaluated by an outside company with experience. The driving course never happened. Amazon vetoed the driving lesson because it would interfere with deliveries. Internal documents at Amazon showed that the company believed it would cause a “bottleneck” that would keep new drivers from making deliveries. Due to the more than one billion packages that would be delivered over the holiday season, the company needed drivers to start immediately, according to a logistics division manager. Unlike other carriers, Amazon is ignoring the need for safety training as its operational network grows.

Drivers complain about horrific treatment, according to Business Insider. One driver, injured on the job, told the news company that he was instructed to complete his deliveries before seeking care for a significant wound. Instead of sympathy, the wounded driver was told that Amazon was watching his behavior and to unload his truck before going to a doctor.

To understand the pressures of being a delivery driver for Amazon, let’s get a feel for the number of deliveries they are expected to make daily. Drivers receive routes directly from Amazon. They are expected to deliver between 250 and 350 packages per day and up to 400 during peak periods. Drivers who call in sick or fail for one reason or another to deliver their packages say they are intimidated or denied work, or fired. One driver said that she was given trucks with poor brakes, bald tires, or broken mirrors as retribution. Using a vehicle with poor tires or brakes is considered negligent and can make the driver and company liable for damages. Even though the driver filed a complaint with the local labor department, it has yet to be resolved.

Drivers also complain about the volume of packages in a truck or delivery vans. Some say that due to the number of boxes, they are piled in the front seat and packed in a way that causes them to randomly move from the back to the front of the vehicle. Loading cargo properly is an essential duty of the commercial driver, and if left undone, which could result in an accident. Due to the time constriction placed on the drivers, many complain they eat in their vans or find it difficult to stop at restrooms.

On September 18, 2013, Joy Covey, Amazon’s first chief financial officer and mother of a young son, was killed when an Amazon delivery van struck her while bicycling in San Francisco. While saddened at one of their own death, company executives did not change their outlook on safety. Instead, they put profit over safety as they continued to hire drivers with little or no training. Amazon has steadfastly refused to say how many accidents its drivers have been involved in or how many fatalities have occurred. It is difficult to say how many accidents occur other than the ones Amazon admits to since the trucks are frequently without an Amazon logo. In one case, a 9-month-old infant was killed by a 26-foot rented contractor box truck identified only as a rental and would not have been counted as an Amazon accident. The delivery driver said he was running late and did not react quickly enough to avoid hitting the vehicle. Because Amazon does not own the trucks, the number of accidents is difficult to determine.

In addition, because they are small trucks, the Federal Motor Carriers Administration does not keep tabs on the number of collisions they are in. However, Amazon routinely tracks accidents and fatalities. Amazon cites the federal safety rate, which takes the total number of crashes and divides it into the unlimited miles traveled, saying that its record is better. However, the federal safety rate considers all motor vehicles, including trucks. This misleading statement is indicative of the way that Amazon protects itself against criticism.

In its effort to build a delivery network that can move billions of packages each year, Amazon has relied on contractors who, in some instances, provide meager safety methods. This decreases Amazon’s need for employees and provides a cost-effective network that moves packages quickly. In 60 accidents since 2015, 10 deaths have been recorded, and others involved severe injuries. Many insiders feel this is a fraction of the actual number of accidents. Because of the layers of protection between the delivery service providers and Amazon, the fact that the driver works for Amazon is often hidden. The company argues that the driver works for the contracting company and not Amazon; thus, it is not liable for accident injuries. Yet, Amazon essentially controls every aspect of the driver’s duties. The delivery service provider may pay the drivers, but Amazon handles everything else, from assignments to how the workers do their job and what is expected of them.

In the video below, a woman was hit and killed in an accident involving an Amazon driver.

Amazon’s contracts with the delivery service providers state that Amazon should be held harmless if an accident happens. That means they are not liable. When Amazon signs an agreement with the delivery providers, it is freed from responsibility for property damage, physical injury, and wrongful death due to the accident. For the most part, Amazon fights to maintain the agreement. In one case, a contractor in New Jersey was forced to pay Amazon’s legal services and bills when they had to defend themselves in an accident case. When dealing with situations in California, Amazon reportedly told courts that the contracted delivery companies were responsible for any and all damages. It is still possible to file a claim against the delivery service provider for all costs associated with the accident.

This depends on who is transporting the cargo. For instance, a Flex driver usually uses their vehicle to pick up and deliver Amazon packages. The motor vehicle operator would be directly liable in this situation. However, personal insurance policies may not pay when the vehicle is used for commercial purposes. Amazon offers drivers the Amazon Flex Auto Policy, which covers them while making deliveries. This would mean the driver would need to carry two policies on their vehicle, one for personal use and one for commercial. Those interested in working for the company would have to check with their insurance company before working as an Amazon delivery driver.

If you have been injured in an Amazon delivery truck accident, you must seek medical treatment immediately. Your injuries can range from whiplash to brain and spine trauma, which can be life-altering or deadly. After you see a doctor, consult with a Sacramento Amazon Delivery Accident Lawyer for help with getting full compensation for your injuries. An attorney will work on building a solid case against the at-fault party to get you monetary damages.

In all personal injury claims, there is a statute of limitations. In California, the deadline is two years from the date of the Amazon delivery accident. That’s why it is essential to retain a personal injury lawyer right away who can guide you through these complications. Having a knowledgeable attorney by your side will likely increase your chance of receiving the settlement you deserve. If we don’t get a fair offer from the other party’s insurance company, we are prepared to go to court to do so.

If you are injured or a family member is killed in an accident involving an Amazon delivery truck, it is essential to prove negligence on the driver’s part. While negligence may seem obvious when a delivery truck hits a motor vehicle or a pedestrian, it must be proven in a civil court of law. Our firm uses our investigative and legal resources to do just that. Initially, we sent our investigative team to the scene of the accident. There, they use accident reconstruction techniques and obtain videos from cameras on traffic lights or businesses to determine how the collision happened. Our investigators interview witnesses and check police reports for inaccuracies. Also, we check on vehicle maintenance, especially brakes and tires, which could lead to loss of driver control. Once all the data is amassed, our investigators release it to our lawyers, who use it to build a strong case for our client.

How do I report a bad Amazon delivery driver?

Amazon’s top priority is safety. If you’ve experienced or witnessed a bad on-road incident involving an Amazon delivery driver, you should call Amazon’s 24/7 emergency hotline at (844) 311-0406 to report the incident.

What are some common scenarios associated with an Amazon delivery truck accident?

Amazon delivery driver accidents can involve many factors, including speeding, DUI, sudden lane changes, or reckless driving.

We offer free and friendly advice if you or a family member were injured by an Amazon delivery vehicle. Please call (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 to reach us. You can also talk to us online using this convenient contact form.

We’ve practiced injury law since 1982 and have helped our clients receive the compensation they deserve in car, wrongful death, and pedestrian accidents.

Please take a moment to learn how we’ve helped our clients obtain Settlements and Verdicts.

Image by josemiguels from Pixabay

: cd bw cha [cs 2285]

Editor’s Note: This page has been updated for accuracy and relevancy [cha 12.6.22]

Additional Resource: