Another crash involving an Amazon delivery vehicle has ended in tragedy, according to ABC 7 in Los Angeles. The report indicated that the Amazon Prime driver barreled into a stopped police cruiser, triggering two serious injuries and two deaths. While this fatal crash happened far from here, it serves as a reminder that anyone anywhere can find themselves injured (or a loved one killed) in a crash caused by an Amazon delivery driver. If it happens to you here in Illinois, waste no time in reaching out to an experienced Chicago injury attorney to help you pursue your case.
The California tragedy took place in the San Bernardino suburb of Jurupa Valley. It began with a routine two-vehicle crash. The involved drivers exited their vehicles and a county sheriff’s vehicle responded to the scene. The officer parked the patrol vehicle in the “No. 1 southbound lane,” behind the two involved vehicles, the report indicated.
About 40 minutes after the original crash, a southbound Amazon Prime delivery truck slammed into the patrol car. The patrol car careened into the officer and a sheriff’s department volunteer, inflicting major injuries on each of them. The two drivers from the initial crash were also hit and died at the scene, according to ABC 7.
The California Highway Patrol indicated that they did not believe drugs and alcohol were factors in the crash, according to reports.
Based on this ABC report, it seems likely that this Amazon Prime driver wasn’t drunk or high on drugs. Unfortunately, driver intoxication is far from the only reason why accidents involving Amazon delivery vehicles occur.
A report from 2019 indicated that from mid-2015 to late 2019, Amazon delivery drivers were involved in more than 60 accidents nationwide in which serious injuries or death occurred.
There are actually a variety of reasons why an Amazon driver might cause a serious or fatal accident. Many of these are situations in which the specific facts might reflect Amazon’s potential legal liability for the harm caused.
Certainly, driver intoxication is one. If the Amazon driver who injured you was drunk or high at the time, certain proof might help in a lawsuit against the corporate giant. If, for example, the driver had a documented past history of convictions for driving while intoxicated but the company hired her/him despite those red flags, then that might be the evidence you need to succeed in holding the company liable for its negligence in having ever worked with that driver at all.
A lot of these accidents, though, involve completely sober Amazon drivers, as this California driver was believed to be. They sometimes involve a driver who drove while sleepy or fatigued in order to hit the daily targets or quotas that the company required of him/her.
Additionally, the pressure to meet deadlines and quotas may increase a driver’s intense focus on efficiency at the expense of safety, leading to other problems behind the wheel. These can include an Amazon delivery driver who was speeding or was driving while distracted by an electronic device when he/she caused an injury crash.
You can still sue and still potentially win. Again, evidence connected to the driver’s driving history may be a big help. If the driver had a known history of speeding or reckless driving but was given an Amazon vehicle to drive anyway, that might trigger liability on the part of the company. Even if the driver had a clean (or mostly clean) driving past, there may still be other potential negligence-oriented claims (such as negligent training) that may be available to help you get the compensation you need.
When your injuries require you to take on a corporate behemoth like Amazon, you need the right legal team fighting for you. Look to the diligent and determined Chicago delivery vehicle accident attorneys at Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca to be the sort of effective advocate you need and deserve. To set up a free case evaluation, contact us at 312-724-5846 or through our website.