Even before COVID-19 arrived, Los Angeles delivery driver services were important to our personal, business, and professional lives. Now, with so many people working from home, they’re generally considered to be a safe way for consumers to obtain groceries, medicines, carry-out food orders, and products. E-commerce businesses rely heavily on delivery services too. What comes to issue is the fact that delivery vehicles operated by businesses like Amazon, UPS, FedEx, DHL or any of their subcontractors must be operated carefully in order to minimize or prevent accidents with pedestrians.
The Pedestrian Disadvantage
Pedestrians don’t have anything at all around them to protect themselves. They’re extremely vulnerable to injury when hit by even a small subcompact delivery car. Pedestrians have no bumpers, fenders, frames or restraint systems to guard them against an impact. There’s nothing but air between them, a motor vehicle and the hard and coarse pavement below. Even at relatively low speeds, when a pedestrian is knocked down, injuries can be severe.
Common Causes of Accidents Between Delivery Drivers and Pedestrians
Delivery services and drivers are essential components of the supply chain, but they must use due care and caution when rendering their services. Here are some common reasons why they become involved in accidents:
- Distracted driving when taking calls, texts or GPS directions on their cellular devices.
- Exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for traffic or weather conditions.
- Disobeying pedestrian crosswalk laws.
- Disobeying stop light or stop sign laws.
- Failing to keep a proper lookout when looking to the right or left for a delivery location.
- Lack of familiarity with a neighborhood.
- Driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol or a combination of the two.
- Drowsy or fatigued driving causing slower reaction times.
Common Pedestrian Accident Injuries
With the mass and speed of a delivery vehicle against the flesh and bone of a pedestrian, injuries suffered by the pedestrian can be severe or even fatal. For example, below are a few types of pedestrian accident injuries:
- Skull fractures and traumatic brain injuries.
- Neck fractures and spinal cord damage.
- Facial fractures and dental damage
- Arm, shoulder, rib and hip fractures.
- Arm, wrist and hand fractures.
- Cartilage damage to shoulders or knees.
- Severe lacerations, abrasions and contusions with or without infection or scarring.
- Wrongful death.
Los Angeles Delivery Driver Accidents are Difficult
Even if a pedestrian had the right-of-way, being hit by a delivery driver is likely to be more legally difficult than being the victim of an ordinary car accident. That’s because a delivery driver might have the name of who he or she is delivering for on their vehicle, but that company likely wrote itself out of any accidents that the driver causes. The mere fact that a delivery van has Amazon written on the side of it doesn’t mean that Amazon is ultimately responsible for compensating an accident victim. The driver has already promised to hold Amazon harmless for accidents involving the vehicle that they’re driving. Some of these delivery companies are even “ma and pa” operations that use rental vehicles. Even if such businesses have insurance coverage, the insurer might only want to pay a victim a fraction of the compensation they deserve for their injuries and damages.
If you sustain an injury as a pedestrian by a delivery driver in or around Los Angeles, preserve and protect your rights right away by contacting Maison Law right away. For one, our Los Angeles pedestrian accident lawyer will make himself available for a consultation and case review at no cost to you. We’ll listen to you carefully. We will answer your questions and explain your full range of legal rights. Upon retaining us to represent you, we’ll want to obtain the maximum settlement or award that you deserve.
Contact a Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, wants to protect the rights of people who have already been put through so much. Besides, Los Angeles pedestrian accident victims should never have to pay for the financial consequences of a careless driver’s mistake.
Contact Maison Law for a free case consultation. Mr. Gasparian has an extensive background in taking on insurance companies. So hHe can shield families from insurance tactics and get them the financial support they need.
