Were you hurt in a collision involving a delivery truck in St. Louis? If the truck driver, their employer, or another party was to blame for the crash, they could owe you financial compensation for what they made you suffer. However, getting this money could prove challenging, as these accidents are often more complicated than collisions between two passenger vehicles.
Instead of trying to handle your claim yourself, turn to an experienced delivery truck accident lawyer in St. Louis for help. At Sumner Law Group, LLC, we have decades of legal experience helping people with cases like yours and have secured millions of dollars for them.
Contact us today to get started with a free consultation with our St. Louis truck accident lawyers.
What Is Considered a Delivery Truck?
The term “delivery truck” describes vehicles of many sizes and purposes. Large semi-trailer trucks deliver goods from a warehouse to large and small businesses. That is how the grocery shelves get stocked and how clothes, furniture, and other consumer goods end up at the mall. If you shop online, postal trucks and private carriers like Fed Ex and UPS will deliver the goods to your home or business. Any of these vehicles could be considered a delivery vehicle. Missouri trucking laws regulate commercial vehicles in the state.
Types of Delivery Trucks and Common Carriers
There are technical differences in the types of delivery trucks and the regulations that govern them. The federal Government Services Administration defines the two main categories like this:
- A common carrier is a company that offers the public transportation in exchange for compensation.
- A contract carrier is a company that provides transportation for compensation under an ongoing agreement with another person or company.
Some common carriers you might be familiar with include:
- United States Postal Service (USPS)
- United Parcel Service (UPS)
- Federal Express (FedEx)
- DHL
Common carriers that operate for delivery purposes make use of vehicles like:
- Box trucks
- Flatbed trucks
- Dry vans
- Panel vans
- Grocery vehicles
- Florist trucks
- Postal trucks
- Moving vans
- UPS trucks
- Postal trucks
- FedEx trucks
- Amazon trucks
Generally speaking, a delivery vehicle conveys goods to their end consumers rather than from warehouses to stores.
What Are the Common Causes of Delivery Truck Accidents?
Some of the most common causes of delivery truck accidents include the following:
- Sudden stops and turns – Delivery drivers have to make frequent stops as they drop off items. When they turn or brake without sufficient warning, they put people around them at risk. The chance of collision increases if they become lost or confused.
- Backing up without looking – Drivers often have to back into and out of parking spaces and loading docks as they deliver items. If they do not adequately check their surroundings, they might accidentally back into another vehicle or a pedestrian.
- Distracted driving – Every motorist has an obligation to keep their eyes on the road, their hands on the wheel, and their focus on the task of driving. Delivery drivers have an added obligation because of the size and weight of the vehicles they operate, which can make a resulting collision far more severe.
- Improperly secured loads – Loose or imbalanced cargo within the truck can throw off its handling and center of gravity, making it harder for the driver to control. Unsecured loads could even fall off the vehicle, potentially hitting other vehicles or causing drivers to swerve into each other while trying to dodge the sudden hazards.
- Lack of training – Commercial vehicles are large, cumbersome, and complicated to operate. Delivery routes can be confusing. Drivers who do not receive ample training from their employers are more likely to make mistakes and cause accidents.
- Poor supervision – Employers must supervise their employees to ensure they do not drive while intoxicated, fatigued, or have otherwise compromised their faculties.
- Mechanical failure – Poor maintenance or defects can cause a critical component to fail in use, leading to a loss-of-control accident.
Ultimately, carelessness or indifference on the part of a driver or their employer causes many delivery truck accidents.
Common Delivery Truck Accident Injuries
While any traffic accident can cause severe injuries, those involving large vehicles like delivery trucks are particularly dangerous. More weight means more force on impact, which in turn increases the chance of injuries like:
- Back pain
- Whiplash
- Bruises and contusions
- Lacerations
- Broken bones
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord damage
- Internal bleeding and organ damage
- Amputations
- Psychological trauma
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Delivery Truck Accident?
Whoever causes a delivery truck accident is liable for its consequences, meaning they must compensate victims for their medical bills, lost income, and other losses. In the typical traffic accident involving only privately owned vehicles, both fault and liability rest with one or more of the drivers. However, the complex nature of the delivery business means that many other parties could be liable for an accident, including some who were not present at the scene. For example, employers are liable for their on-the-job employees. Therefore, when a UPS truck hits someone, the company is likely liable, for example.
Depending on the circumstances, any or several of the following parties could be liable for your injuries:
- The delivery truck driver
- The driver’s employer
- The owner of the truck
- Those responsible for loading the truck
- The owner of the cargo
- Repair shops that maintain the truck
- Government entities that design and maintain the roads
Our experienced delivery truck accident attorneys in St. Louis can investigate the incident and determine who you can hold liable for your injuries.
Compensation for Delivery Truck Accident Claims
If you were hurt in a delivery truck accident someone else caused, they might owe you compensation for the following losses:
- Medical bills
- Lost income
- Diminished earning potential
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Incidental expenses
You should not have to pay the price of a delivery truck crash that was not your fault.
Contact Our Delivery Truck Accident Lawyers at Sumner Law Group, LLC
Were you hurt in a delivery truck accident in St. Louis? Then you deserve the help of a law firm that knows how to win these complex cases. Contact Sumner Law Group, LLC, today to speak with one of our delivery truck accident lawyers. Consultations are free, and we won’t charge you a fee unless and until we secure compensation.
