Delivery trucks are commonly encountered on the roads of Pittsburgh and all across Pennsylvania. And it’s no wonder why given the ever-increasing number of Americans who rely on doorstep delivery. We purchase things over the Internet, use our credit cards to pay for them, and then wait for delivery trucks to transport them to our doorstep. It’s fast, simple, and convenient. But it’s also dangerous for motorists who share the roads with these delivery trucks.
“Because doorstep deliveries are so fast and convenient, many drivers of these delivery trucks face tight deadlines and are under pressure from their employers, which often results in speeding, careless driving, and a plethora of other dangerous driving behaviors,” says a Pittsburgh delivery truck accident attorney from Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman.
THE LEGAL CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH DELIVERY TRUCK ACCIDENTS
Being injured in a motor vehicle collision involving a delivery truck can become a huge headache for the injured because the insurance claim process after a truck accident involving delivery companies is very complicated and confusing. Delivery companies do whatever they can to avoid liability and protect their drivers, while insurance companies representing these delivery companies are no strangers to conducting biased and unfair investigations.
Fact: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, delivery workers and truck drivers account for the largest number of fatal injuries in the workplace. The leading cause of these fatal injuries is transportation accidents, which, in the vast majority of cases, occur due to human error.
CAUSES OF DELIVERY TRUCK ACCIDENTS IN PENNSYLVANIA
We asked our experienced delivery truck accident attorney Pittsburgh to outline the most common causes of truck crashes involving delivery truckers:
- Speeding to get from point A to point B faster;
- Distracted driving (with cell phone usage accounting for the leading cause of delivery truck crashes involving a delivery trucker in Pennsylvania);
- Running red lights;
- Failure to give up the right of way to other motorists;
- Failure to notice traffic signs and stop signs;
- Failure to use turn signals when switching lanes;
- Performing illegal lane changes;
- Bad road or weather conditions (poor visibility, inadequate lighting, potholes, uneven pavement, cracks, etc.);
- A truck coming to an abrupt stop to deliver a package;
- Overloading delivery trucks or failure to adequately secure cargo in these trucks;
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (delivering packages from one destination to another often means many hours or days of interstate driving, which is why delivery truckers make it more “less boring” by drinking alcohol or using controlled substances); and
- Inadequate training by the delivery company.
WHO’S LIABLE FOR A DELIVERY TRUCK ACCIDENT?
Another question that many victims of delivery truck accidents ask is who can be held responsible for their injuries and damages. Our Pittsburgh delivery truck crash lawyer explains that multiple parties can be held liable for your injuries in this type of collision, including:
- The delivery trucker, if you can prove that he or she failed to exercise a high duty of care due to negligent driving behaviors or violation of traffic laws;
- The delivery company may be held liable if you can prove any of the following: it failed to properly train the driver, the truck was overloaded or poorly maintained, the company failed to conduct reasonable background checks prior to hiring the driver, the company contributed to the crash by imposing unrealistically tight deadlines, etc.;
- A third-party company or individual responsible for the maintenance of the truck (if the delivery truck accident was caused by a defect, mechanical error, or any of its parts and components malfunctioned and the party responsible for the inspection and maintenance failed to discover the defect or failure to conduct proper maintenance);
- The manufacturer of the truck and/or parts and components, if the accident was caused by a manufacturing defect or design defect in the delivery truck or any of its parts and components.
Schedule a free consultation with our lawyers at Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman. Call our law firm to discuss your case, and let our attorneys determine liability and help you recover damages. Call at (412) 391-7610.
