Injuries caused by UPS vehicles can result in substantial damages for victims.
If you’ve been injured by a UPS vehicle in Philadelphia, contact Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation.
Collectively, our team has more than 80 years of experience helping accident victims like you. We’re ready to put that experience to work for you today.
So, contact our Philadelphia law firm or call (215) 875-7030 to schedule your free consultation today. You can learn about your legal rights and how to recover compensation for your injuries from our trusted Philadelphia UPS accident lawyers.
How Can a Philadelphia Injury Lawyer Help Me After a UPS Accident?
UPS is a large corporation with a team of defense attorneys ready to protect the company’s best interests. UPS isn’t going to look out for your best interests. Neither will its insurance company. That is up to you. Therefore, you need an experienced team of legal professionals who understands the complex nature of accidents involving UPS vehicles.
UPS accident claims are different from your typical car accident claim. Different rules apply in these accident cases.
Our personal injury lawyers in Philadelphia, PA understand the rules and regulations governing commercial carriers. We also have the resources to conduct an extensive accident investigation, including hiring experts to assist with the investigation. A comprehensive investigation is necessary to identify all potential parties who might be responsible for your injuries.
There could be several parties who might be liable for your damages. Our lawyers dig deep into the accident to identify each party to help ensure that you receive full compensation for all damages.
Parties that might have liability for a UPS accident claim include:
- The corporation itself;
- An insurance carrier;
- The UPS driver; and,
- Third parties that might have been involved in the accident.
Victims of UPS accidents in Philadelphia deserve fair and just compensation for their damages. Our truck accident attorneys utilize all our resources to fight for every cent that UPS and other parties owe you for your injuries and damages.
You do not have to face a large corporation and its insurance provider by yourself. By retaining our law firm, you can put our experience, skills, resources, and knowledge to work for you. You can even the playing field against a large corporation that does not care whether you are treated fairly after being injured by one of its commercial vehicles.
How Common Are UPS Truck Accidents?
United Parcel Service (UPS) is one of the largest trucking companies in the United States. It provides freight services throughout all 50 states. During 2018, UPS drivers logged almost three billion miles.
With that many miles logged each year, it is easy to reason that UPS trucks will be involved in numerous traffic accidents. For the 24 months ending June 16, 2020, UPS trucks were involved in 2,461 reportable crashes. Fifty-nine people died and 889 people were injured in crashes involving UPS vehicles during that period.
Leading Causes of UPS Accidents in Philadelphia
UPS drivers cause many of the accidents involving UPS vehicles. The company and its drivers have been cited for numerous unsafe driving violations, including:
- Speeding
- Lane Restriction Violations
- Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device
- Using Cell Phones While Operating a Commercial Vehicle
- Improper Lane Changes
- Failing to Maintain Lane
- Distracted Driving
- Texting and Driving
- Unlawful Parking and Leaving a Vehicle in the Roadway
- Improper Passing
- Reckless Driving, and
- Drunk Driving.
However, there are also other causes of motor vehicle accidents that involve UPS trucks. For instance, UPS may fail to conduct a thorough investigation into the driver’s fitness or experience to operate a commercial vehicle. Also, the company may fail to monitor a driver’s fitness or illegal substance abuse.
Failing to maintain UPS vehicles and make repairs can also be a factor in the cause of a UPS accident. Forcing drivers to exceed the hours of service can contribute to accidents caused by fatigue or drowsiness.
What Types of Injuries Do UPS Accidents Cause?
The injuries sustained in a UPS accident can be severe. If the UPS vehicle involved in the crash is a large truck, the occupants of the other vehicle have a much higher risk of being killed or injured compared to the truck driver.
UPS delivery trucks are much larger than most passenger vehicles, which can result in traumatic injuries for the passengers of the other vehicles. Pedestrians and bicyclists are also at a high risk of life-threatening injuries caused by UPS vehicles.
Common UPS accident injuries include, but are not limited to:
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Fractured Skulls and Other Head Injuries
- Back and Spinal Cord Injuries
- Paralysis
- Amputations
- Broken Bones and Complex Fractures
- Internal Organ Damage
- Concussions and Contusions
- Whiplash and Neck Injuries
- Emotional and Mental Trauma
- Wrongful Death, and more.
The severity and type of injuries are significant factors in the value of a UPS accident claim.
Can I Receive Compensation for Injuries Caused by a Philadelphia UPS Driver?
If the UPS driver or another party is responsible for causing the accident, you are entitled to compensation for your damages. The amount of money you receive for a UPS injury claim depends on the facts of your case.
In most UPS accident cases, victims are entitled to receive compensation for damages including, but not limited to:
- Emergency Room and Hospital Bills
- Ambulance Fees
- Physician’s Bills
- Diagnostic Tests
- Medications and Medical Equipment
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Counseling and Mental Health Treatment
- Loss of Income and Benefits
- Future Lost Wages and Diminished Earning Capacity, and
- Cost of Personal Care.
In addition to the financial damages, a victim of a UPS accident may also be entitled to damages for their pain and suffering. Pain and suffering damages for a UPS accident include:
- Physical Pain
- Emotional Suffering
- Mental Anguish
- Scarring and Disfigurement
- Loss of Enjoyment or Quality of Life, and
- Permanent Disabilities and Impairments.
Our Philadelphia UPS accident attorneys work closely with your doctors to document your medical damages and injuries. Our legal team works with you to carefully document other damages to ensure that we include all damages in our demand for settlement.
We aggressively seek full compensation for all of your injuries, losses, and damages caused by a UPS accident.
What Happens if I am Partially to Blame for an Accident with a UPS Vehicle?
Pennsylvania’s modified comparative negligence statute bars recovery of compensation if an accident victim is 51 percent or more at fault for the cause of the accident. Therefore, if a jury finds that you are 51 percent or more to blame for the cause of the UPS accident, you cannot recover any money for your injuries or damages. The law applies even though the UPS driver might have been 49 percent at fault for the crash.
If the jury finds that you are less than 51 percent to blame for the crash, you can recover compensation for your damages. However, your compensation is reduced by the percentage of blame assigned to you for causing an accident with a UPS vehicle. For example, if you are 30 percent to blame, the amount of money you receive for your injury claim is reduced by 30 percent.
Fighting allegations of comparative fault can be complicated. The insurance company or UPS might use comparative fault as a defense to avoid paying a valid injury claim. You need an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney who understands the law to build a strong case against UPS for full liability for your claim.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit for a UPS Accident?
Every state has enacted deadlines for filing a personal injury lawsuit. In Pennsylvania, the Statute of Limitations for personal injury lawsuits is usually two years from the date of the injury.
Therefore, if you do not file your lawsuit against UPS and the other parties responsible for the accident within two years, you could lose your right to recover compensation for accident injuries and damages.
However, the deadline to file a lawsuit against UPS could be modified in some cases. It is always best to talk with an attorney as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline to file a claim. Your attorney calculates the deadlines applicable to your case and monitors those deadlines closely to protect your legal rights.
Contact a Philadelphia Truck Accident Lawyer for a Free Case Review
Accidents caused by UPS vehicles can result in life-altering conditions for victims. We understand that you and your family have been through a difficult period. You may still be healing from accident injuries.
We want to help. Our legal team handles all aspects of your UPS accident claim so you can focus on your recovery and your family. Our goals are to get you the money you deserve while making the process as stress-free as possible for you.
For a free, no-obligation consultation with a Philadelphia UPS accident attorney, contact Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers today.
