What Happens if You Are Injured by a FedEx Truck?

Accidents involving large trucks can result in significant injuries and property damage. FedEx delivery vehicles are crucial pieces of our transportation infrastructure, particularly as online shopping has increased. However, when accidents occur due to the negligent actions of FedEx drivers or the company itself, crash victims need to know where to turn to recover compensation. Here, our Portland car accident lawyer wants to discuss the steps you can take if you were injured in a crash with the FedEx truck.

How Often do FedEx Trucks Crash?

Data available from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration indicates that during the latest 24-month reporting time frame, there were 1,797 total accidents involving FedEx trucks across the country. Out of these incidents, 71 resulted in fatalities, and 885 resulted in injuries. 

FedEx does inspect their vehicles, as they are required to do so by the FMCSA, and their latest reporting statistics showed that they inspected a total of 18,289 vehicles and allowed 8,157 of their trucks to still operate and make deliveries even though they had violations.

There are more than 100,000 FedEx vehicles on the roadway, and delivery vehicles, in general, are increasing in number as a result of the increasing number of individuals shopping from home and having items delivered to their houses.

How do FedEx Truck Accidents Occur?

FedEx delivery truck accidents can occur in a wide variety of ways. Every driver that works for FedEx goes through stringent training processes, though this does not mean that drivers will be error-free. There are various ways that these incidents can occur as a result of driver error, including:

• Failing to properly load the vehicle
• The driver failing to stop at stop signs or stop lights
• Failing to yield the right of way to others on the roadway
• Operating too fast for conditions
• Truck driver fatigue
• Truck driver distraction
• Truck driver impairment

Additionally, FedEx truck accidents can occur if the company fails to regularly inspect and maintain its vehicles properly. These are larger trucks, and anytime there is a defect or faulty part, this could lead to the truck becoming a hazard on the roadway.

Types of Compensation Available in These Cases

If an individual sustains an injury in an accident caused by a FedEx driver or FedEx truck, they should be able to recover compensation for their losses. Even though it is unlikely FedEx will want to accept responsibility automatically, they do have insurance coverage, and most of these claims are resolved through settlements with an insurance carrier. However, any person involved in these accidents needs to work with an attorney who can explore other avenues of compensation recovery. Often, the only way to recover full compensation is to file a civil personal injury lawsuit against FedEx.

Individual victims in these accidents should be able to recover compensation for:

• Medical expenses caused by the incident
• Lost wages if they are unable to work
• Property damage expenses
• Rental car expenses
• Pain and suffering damages
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation costs

An attorney will work with medical and economic experts to adequately calculate the total expected losses after a FedEx incident in Oregon or Washington state. Contact Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC today for a free consultation with our experienced Portland personal injury lawyer.