Florida UPS & FedEx Truck Accidents Lawyers

Fort Lauderdale UPS & FedEx Truck Accidents Lawyers

Seeing a UPS or FedEx truck is a common occurrence in Florida. These vehicles deliver all manner of goods to consumers, offering convenience and reliability. Just like any other trucks, however, they can cause accidents, including last-mile delivery accidents.

If you’ve been in an accident involving a UPS or FedEx truck, the most important thing you can do is reach out to experienced Florida UPS & FedEx truck accident lawyers. At Coffey McPharlin, our lawyers are ready to help you get the compensation you deserve. Don’t wait, act now!

Understanding UPS & FedEx Truck Accidents

These kinds of accidents occur for a number of reasons. Often, driver error is the problem, while other times, there can be issues with truck maintenance or company hiring practices.

UPS and FedEx have to follow a number of regulations involving the training and maintenance of their trucks. However, due to the continuously increasing demand for these trucks, companies may hire people who aren’t as experienced as they need to be or not train them as thoroughly as is necessary.

That could make the company liable along with the driver. In some circumstances, however, it might be the truck itself that could malfunction through no fault of the driver.

If the truck wasn’t maintained correctly or if essential parts, like the brakes, didn’t function properly, the maintenance or manufacturing company could be liable.

By far, the most common cause of most traffic accidents around the country, including those involving UPS and FedEx trucks, is distracted driving. On average, 424,000 people suffer injuries in accidents each year involving distracted drivers. If the driver is not paying attention to the road, UPS and FedEx trucks can cause serious accidents. The larger the vehicle, the more severe the injuries.

Last-mile delivery is the final phase of the logistics process, where goods are transported from a local distribution center to the customer’s doorstep. This critical step directly impacts customer satisfaction, delivery timelines, and service reliability for companies like Amazon, UPS, and FedEx.

However, this phase presents unique logistical challenges. Drivers must navigate complex urban and suburban environments, adhere to tight schedules, and manage frequent stops, all while maintaining efficiency. These demands make last-mile delivery a pivotal yet demanding component of the shipping industry, requiring careful attention to safety, liability, and regulatory standards.

Causes of Last-Mile Delivery Accidents

Accidents during last-mile deliveries can result from several factors unique to this phase, along with common issues faced by delivery drivers. These causes include:

• Distracted Driving: Delivery drivers frequently rely on handheld devices for navigation, package updates, and delivery confirmations. These distractions divert attention from the road and contribute significantly to last-mile delivery accidents.
• Requiring Drivers to Make Too Many Deliveries During a Shift: Too many deliveries are not safe and cause the drivers to cut corners, speed and take risks to meet quotas. Some of these last mile delivery drivers are tasked with delivering to over 180 addresses during a single workday. Imagine if several of those customers ordered two or three packages delivered to each address in the neighborhoods where you live. This business practice equates to hundreds upon hundreds of packages that the driver needs to deliver each day creating an overwhelming mental workload.  This puts company profits over safety. This unreasonable workload leads to accidents. We help those victims.
• Speeding and Reckless Driving: To meet strict delivery deadlines, drivers may speed or engage in aggressive driving behaviors, such as rapid lane changes or tailgating. These actions increase both the frequency and severity of collisions during last-mile deliveries.
• Inadequate Vehicle Maintenance: Delivery vehicles are subjected to heavy daily use, and insufficient maintenance can lead to mechanical failures, such as brake malfunctions or tire blowouts. These failures are especially hazardous in residential neighborhoods or congested areas.
• Navigational Challenges: Last-mile delivery drivers often operate in unfamiliar neighborhoods, narrow residential streets where children ride their bicycles and play catch, and high-traffic urban areas. These conditions increase the likelihood of collisions with pedestrians, cyclists, or other vehicles.

These factors often combine to make last-mile delivery one of the most accident-prone stages in the logistics process.  These companies monitor their drivers’ every move and can easily take the steps to reduce driver workload by hiring more drivers, purchasing more trucks, and reducing the number of deliveries they expect each driver to make during a normal shift. Instead, they have done the opposite and this unsafe practice results in accidents. 

How UPS & FedEx Truck Accident Attorneys Can Help

Because Florida is a no-fault state when it comes to vehicular accidents, people assume getting compensation after an accident is simple. After all, you’ll be dealing with your own insurance company, right? What you have to understand, however, is that insurers are focused on protecting their interests.

They’ll look for any way to prevent having to pay you. Florida follows a modified comparative negligence doctrine, which means your degree of culpability in the accident can weigh heavily on the compensation you get. Insurers will try to pin as much of the blame on you as possible. If your fault is more than 50%, you can’t recover damages.

Having a UPS & FedEx truck accident lawyer helping you could mean a better chance of proving who was at fault so that you can receive fair compensation.

When we are hired to help you when you are involved in an accident with a commercial delivery truck operated by Amazon, FedEx, UPS, or another commercial delivery company our team begins work immediately by gathering evidence, beginning investigations, speaking to witnesses, documenting the scene of the accident and vehicles involved in the accident to prove your clients’ case. With the passage of time evidence disappears, witnesses forget, and the condition of the scene of the accident changes. These companies immediately call in their team after their trucks cause an accident in order to protect their interests and minimize your recovery. You need a team to go to battle for you immediately in order to maximize your potential recovery. We can never guarantee a result, but we can promise you that we will do everything legally permissible to obtain a fair and full monetary recovery for you or your loved one.

If your injuries are so severe that your personal injury protection (PIP) insurance can’t offer the kind of assistance you need, you have the chance to file a lawsuit against the other party. To do this, however, you have to prove negligence. This is complex.

First, you have to show that the party who caused the accident has a duty of care that they breached. Anyone operating a vehicle has a duty to drive safely, and actions like speeding, distracted driving, and fatigued driving put them in breach of their duty.

If, however, the truck maintenance company or even UPS or FedEx are to blame, proving they owe you a duty of care can be much harder.

You also have to demonstrate that the negligent party’s actions led directly to injuries you can be compensated for.

None of this is simple to accomplish and requires people who have experience gathering the right evidence. You also need someone in your corner who can negotiate with insurance companies effectively. You need UPS & FedEx truck accident lawyers in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

If negotiations fail, your UPS & FedEx truck accident lawyer can file a lawsuit and take your case to court. That’s not something you ever want to tackle on your own.

Understanding Insurance Coverage and Liability for Last-Mile Delivery

Determining liability and insurance coverage for last-mile delivery accidents can be complex due to the involvement of multiple parties, including drivers, third-party contractors, and logistics companies like Amazon, UPS, or FedEx.

1. Insurance Coverage:
   • For Contracted Drivers: Companies like Amazon and FedEx often hire independent contractors or third-party service providers to handle last-mile deliveries. These contractors are typically required to carry primary liability insurance, which covers damages caused by their vehicles during accidents.
   • For Company Employees: When the driver involved in an accident is directly employed by a logistics company, the company’s comprehensive liability insurance often applies.
2. Liability Complexities:
   • Driver Negligence: If a driver is distracted, speeding, or otherwise negligent, they may be held directly liable.
   • Company Liability: Companies may share responsibility if inadequate training, hiring inexperienced drivers, or failing to maintain vehicles contributed to the accident.
   • Maintenance and Manufacturing Issues: If the vehicle itself malfunctions due to poor maintenance or defective parts, liability may fall on the maintenance provider or vehicle manufacturer.
3. Navigating the Claims Process:
   Victims of last-mile delivery accidents often face hurdles when pursuing compensation, as logistics companies may attempt to deflect responsibility onto third-party contractors. An Amazon, UPS & FedEx accident lawyer plays an important role in identifying liable parties, gathering evidence, and securing fair compensation for damages.

Umbrella/Excess Liability Insurance Policies

Umbrella or excess liability insurance is additional coverage that applies when the primary policies (auto or general liability) reach their limits. Umbrella policies are especially important for covering high-cost claims, which can arise in severe accidents involving multiple parties or catastrophic injuries.

FedEx’s Umbrella Policies

FedEx generally maintains substantial umbrella or excess liability policies, often in the range of $10 million to $20 million or more per occurrence. These policies provide additional coverage if primary policies reach their limits, especially for severe accidents or high-cost claims. For catastrophic incidents, FedEx may carry multiple layers of excess insurance, further extending coverage.

UPS’s Umbrella Policies

UPS, like Amazon and FedEx, typically carries substantial umbrella or excess liability insurance policies, which often start from $10 million to $25 million per occurrence. This umbrella coverage helps UPS manage high-cost claims and catastrophic events, protecting the company from significant financial exposure.

These umbrella policies add a critical layer of financial protection for accident victims, covering damages that exceed the limits of standard liability insurance. So if you or your loved one has been injured by an Amazon, UPS, or FedEx truck or van, call us now to maximize your compensation.

Coffey McPharlin: UPS & FedEx Truck Accident Attorneys in South Florida

Dealing with the kind of injuries that a large vehicle like a UPS or FedEx truck can cause can leave you struggling with medical bills as well as other losses. It’s crucial that you reach out to lawyers who have experience with these accidents so that you can get fair compensation.

At Coffey McPharlin, we can help you deal with insurance companies so that you can focus on healing. Turn to us today at (954) 289-6136 to schedule a free consultation with UPS & FedEx truck accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale.