This is the busiest time of year for shipping companies like UPS and FedEx. Many people do as much of their holiday shopping online as they do in stores, and some people buy all of their gifts online. Additionally, people who are not able to visit all of their friends and family for the holidays ship packages of holiday cheer all over the world. Package delivery workers are hard at work day and night, and in all kinds of weather, doing their best to get all of those packages to their destinations in time for Christmas.
In addition to the increased numbers of package delivery trucks on the roads during the holiday season, there are also other factors like an increase in overall vehicle traffic and snow banks alongside the roads which make it difficult to find places to park a delivery truck in order to drop off a package, which increase the risk of delivery truck accidents. When a package delivery truck is involved in an accident, there are unique risks to its drivers, as well as to the drivers of the other vehicle. Delivery trucks are large, and they are often very heavy, with many trucks carrying loads that are at or near the upper limit of their weight capacity. Because of their size and weight, delivery trucks often do much more damage than ordinary vehicles when they are involved in a crash. Unfortunately, some of the design features of delivery trucks which make it easy for their drivers to get in and out of their vehicles quickly create safety risks for the drivers, such as a danger that they will be ejected from their truck during a crash.
If you are involved in an accident with a delivery truck, an accident response team from the trucking company’s insurer may arrive at the accident scene. Package delivery companies send teams of adjusters to accident scenes so that they may assess the damage and speak with the other drivers who were involved in the accident for a couple of reasons. One reason is that the other drivers might provide information that the insurance company can use to support its case in the event that any claims arising from the accident proceed to litigation. Also, the insurance company may use information that is gathered at the accident scene to create initial settlement offers for the accident victims. Insurance companies send settlement offers to accident victims as soon after the accident as they can, in an effort to entice the injured parties to accept a settlement that may be substantially less than they deserve before they are fully aware of the extent of their injuries or damages. Since the adjusters do not have your best interests in mind, politely decline to speak with them until after you have consulted with an experienced Kansas Personal Injury Attorney.
If you have been injured in a delivery truck crash, be sure to get medical attention right away. Even if you do not feel like you are hurt, you should get checked out for the purpose of creating a record of your care with your health care provider. In addition to seeking prompt medical attention, it is important that you speak with a knowledgeable Kansas Personal Injury Attorney right away. To learn more about how a Kansas Personal Injury Attorney can help you to obtain the settlement that you deserve, please call our Wichita office today at (316) 264-1548.