If you’re traveling a California freeway or boulevard, the visual reminders of the shipping industry are everywhere. For United Parcel Service (UPS), it’s those brown vans darting in and out of neighborhoods and office parks.
They keep the supply chain flowing, but all of those vans and big rigs on our roads only increase the risk of accidents for you and your family. For example, a UPS employee in a hurry can collide with your car and leave you with serious injuries. Most people in this situation won’t know where to turn for injury support.
Once you realize you can file an injury claim against such a large company, you’ll likely wonder how much UPS will pay towards your hospital bills and every other financial hardship you’ve endured.
UPS Truck Accident Dangers in California
You may have come upon a UPS van or semi-truck on a recent trip and been frustrated by the amount of their lane and your lane their giant vehicles occupy. The size and weight of their vehicles are just two factors in the dangers they present on our highways.
As in most accidents, it’s the drivers that are the biggest threats to roadway safety. UPS employees are doing their jobs from behind the wheel and that can mean a lot of distraction. They are in constant contact with their managers. They get computer notifications of route updates.
UPS drivers are also under a lot of pressure to get their packages out on time. This pressure sometimes leads to reckless driving that involves a lot of speeding. These are all reasons a UPS driver might fail to see you stopped at a light and rear-end your car. They might also lose control while rounding a curve too fast and veer into your lane for a head-on collision.
UPS Accident Settlement Amounts in California
UPS backs its drivers with a $1 million car accident liability policy. How much you receive from this policy is difficult to say because every accident case is so different. UPS will also have a team of lawyers working to limit what you receive.
That’s why having your own California UPS Truck Accident Lawyer is crucial when considering how much compensation you’ll secure. Skilled attorneys like Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, are the only people who can go over the circumstances of your accident and give you a good idea of what your injury is worth. Fortunately, Mr. Gasparian offers a free case consultation to all victims. It’s a no-risk way to access what your injury is really worth.
The severity of the injuries you or a family member suffer will be the biggest factor in how much your UPS settlement check is written for. The length of recovery, the medical equipment needed, and other details will greatly increase the support you see. The physical and emotional pain you suffer also factor in.
A permanent disability suffered could raise the compensation you receive all the way to UPS’s policy limits. This money will be needed to replace a lifetime of income if you are unable to perform your job duties. Medical care costs could keep piling up for decades to come.
The wages you lose out on while out of work with your injury also add to the money UPS should be reimbursing you for. This may mean a few weeks of back pay, or as mentioned above with a permanent disability, a lifetime of support may be needed.
In some cases, there may be other parties involved in the accident that could be forced to contribute to your support. A manufacturer responsible for a malfunction in a part in the UPS vehicle that causes your accident might also have to lend support to you and your family. The auto insurance companies covering other drivers involved in the crash might also play a role.
The Role a California Personal Injury Lawyer Plays in Settlement Amounts
The skill and experience of your California personal injury lawyer are extremely important factors in the success of your accident claim. Dealing with a major company like UPS and its legal teams is not something every lawyer has experience with.
You might be desperate after seeing hospital bills pile up and accept the first settlement offer you receive. This first offer is designed to leave you paying a portion of your own recovery bills. A California UPS accident lawyer with a strong background in insurance settlement negotiation will keep you from making this mistake. Your lawyer will reject any offer that doesn’t fully compensate you for your bills and what you’ve been through.
UPS Truck Accident Injury Dangers
The thing that makes a collision with a UPS so dangerous is not the drivers themselves, it’s the loaded-down vans they drive. That added weight only multiplies the force of impact in any crash. Additionally, you and your passengers can face devastating consequences in any type of collision, even at slower speeds.
These are some of the most common injuries that happen in accidents with delivery vehicles:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI): A blow to the head can cause concussions. A TBI can cause a loss of bladder control, seizures, mood swings, memory loss, and many other serious symptoms. The consequences may be permanent.
- Fractured Bones: The force of the impact is often enough to cause bones to break. Arms and legs commonly absorb blunt force trauma in front, rear, and side impacts. Skull fractures can cause brain bleeding leading to bleeding around the eyes, ears, and nose.
- Long-Term Injuries: A permanent disability changes homelife for patients, their ability to go to work to support their families, and every other part of their lives. Support from UPS would need to include compensation that allows the patient as much freedom as possible.
- Wrongful Death: In the most severe cases, injuries threaten the lives of victims. Someone may tragically die on the scene of a UPS accident. A victim could die at the hospital after weeks of intensive care. After a victim passes on, the focus of support must turn to the family left behind. Close relatives are encouraged to file a wrongful death claim to earn support to prevent financial hardships for the family in the years to come.
- Whiplash: This common injury involves damage to the muscles, discs, nerves, and tendons in your neck after a quick back and forth motion of the head. Victims can experience a lot of pain and a severely limited range of motion over a few weeks or months.
- Internal Injuries: The soft tissue connecting, supporting, and holding organs in place can be severely damaged. This would include bruised or torn muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
Contact a California Personal Injury Accident Lawyer
After you or a loved one suffers a serious injury due to someone’s carelessness, don’t let an insurance company decide how much you should receive in a settlement. Thus, UPS will quickly write you a settlement check that may not even cover half of your bills and hardships.
Discuss your case with a skilled California Personal Injury Attorney like Martin Gasparian at Maison Law. You’ll have a better understanding of the benefits available to you and how much your injury may be worth.
Mr. Gasparian offers a free, confidential case evaluation to victims and their families. If you decide you want Maison Law safeguarding your injury claim, you won’t owe any money now. Therefore, we won’t receive payment unless we secure a settlement or verdict on your behalf.
Other Settlement Resources
- California Semi-Truck Accident Settlement
- California Herniated Disc Settlements
- California Grocery Store Slip-and-Fall Settlement Amounts
- Personal Injury Calculator
