United Parcel Service Inc.—known to most people as UPS—operates delivery trucks and services across the United States and through various international routes, and for the most part has a pretty good track record in terms of accidents and injuries. However, traffic incidents involving UPS trucks can and do still occur in Georgia, and they often result in significant physical harm to other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
If you were struck by or otherwise involved in a UPS truck accident in Alpharetta, you may be able to pursue compensation from UPS for your ensuing injuries and losses. However, it is important to understand how cases against UPS differ from other types of personal injury and truck accident claims, so speaking with an Alpharetta truck accident lawyer first is almost always the best course of action.
What Makes UPS Truck Accidents Unique?
One of the key things to understand about UPS truck accidents relative to other truck crash cases is that UPS drivers are hired as employees of UPS rather than as independent contractors. This is a major difference between how this delivery company operates and how competitors like FedEx and Amazon operate, and it is often an extremely relevant factor in any civil suit filed against UPS following a traffic accident.
Since UPS drivers are classified as employees, UPS can almost always be held civilly liable for any accident their employee causes while performing work-related duties. This means that if, for example, a UPS driver ran a red light and T-boned a commuter car, an injured passenger in the struck vehicle would file suit against UPS, not the individual driver whose negligence directly led to their injuries. As a result, plaintiffs in Alpharetta UPS truck accident cases can usually pursue significantly more compensation for their injuries, since a civil jury will likely believe a company as large as UPS has the funds available to cover those damages.
Filing Suit Against UPS for Accident Compensation
Although establishing a defendant is often a simple matter, establishing liability for a UPS truck accident is often a different matter. For example, commercial trucks like those used by UPS typically collect various types of accident-related data—such as the truck’s speed and weight prior to crashing, when or if the brakes were applied, and more—in a centralized “black box,” all of which could be crucial to establishing fault for a wreck. However, that evidence is only available to legal representatives who know how and where to look for it—knowledge that a less experienced or skilled car accident attorney might not have.
In the same vein, numerous federal and state regulations govern how commercial trucks should be operated, when and for how long driver should take breaks, and what standards of maintenance a commercial truck should be held to. Without help from a seasoned truck wreck lawyer, a person injured in a UPS truck accident in Alpharetta may have little luck tracking down the right statutes and proving they were violated, making it virtually impossible to prove legal negligence.
Talk to an Alpharetta Attorney About UPS Truck Accident Cases
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, UPS has over 125,000 delivery vehicles in its fleet and employs more than 118,000 drivers to operate them. While the FMCSA tracked fewer than 2500 accidents involving “Big Brown Trucks,” many of these types of accidents caused serious or fatal injury.
If you recently suffered harm in a truck crash involving a United Parcel Service driver or truck, assistance from seasoned legal counsel may be essential to recovering the compensation you deserve. Call a qualified Alpharetta personal injury lawyer today to learn more about filing suit over UPS truck accidents in Alpharetta.