Oregon Amazon Truck Accident Attorney

No matter where you live in Oregon, it’s probably not uncommon for you to receive Amazon deliveries at your home or business. After all, you can buy virtually anything on Amazon’s website and have most items delivered on the same day or within one or two days. During the holiday shopping season and Prime days, the delivery volume numbers go up even higher. That puts a lot of stress on the entire fleet of Amazon delivery drivers and that can lead to an increase in accidents.

If you find yourself involved in one of these incidents, you’ll benefit from speaking to an Oregon Amazon truck accident lawyer. We urge you to contact Trucking Injury Law Group if an accident with an Amazon delivery truck or van left you injured or claimed the life of a loved one. You can schedule a free initial consultation with one of our firm’s lawyers.

You will want to move quickly following any truck crash case to preserve evidence, so the quicker you reach out to us, the better your chances are of proving liability and securing any maximum settlement you may be entitled to.

Recent Oregon Amazon Truck Crashes

If you have difficulty grasping how Amazon delivery vehicles could have crashes, let us just detail a few of the more recent wrecks involving the online retailer’s vehicles in the past few years.

Those trucking accidents occurred in:

• Salem: A Sunday afternoon crash on Dec. 15, 2019, left two eastbound lanes along Highway 22 near I-5 closed for around two hours. Salem Police Department investigators determined that the left turn that an Amazon tractor-trailer operator took to get onto the highway caused the truck to roll over on its side, according to the Statesman Journal. Witnesses said that the trucker, who was transporting parcels at the time to a local distribution center, was moving slowly when making the turn, so no citations were issued. Fortunately, no one was hurt when the crash occurred.
• Oregon City: Clackamas Fire District received a dispatch call to Redland Road early on Monday morning, Dec. 13, 2021. Upon arriving on the Redland Road crash scene, they found an Amazon box truck stuck in a ditch and its occupant trapped by the dashboard, according to the local TV station KVAL. Firefighters freed the individual so they could receive treatment for their non-life-threatening injuries.

And it’s likely that more collisions have occurred but just haven’t made the news. And it’s likely they will continue to happen as Amazon continues to grow its footprint here in The Beaver State.

Causes of Amazon Delivery Accidents

When reviewing national crash statistics, accidents involving delivery trucks like Amazon ones are on the rise. Why is that the case? It has to do with Amazon having company policies in place that apply unreasonable expectations on its workers. Some examples of those problematic policies include:

• Amazon typically expects its truckers to work 10-hour days when transporting goods between distribution centers.
• The online retailer also expects its delivery drivers to make as many as 400 deliveries daily, which can be challenging to do in more sparsely populated areas.
• Amazon employs a quota system, and its employees can face termination for failing to meet those minimum standards, so workers often cut corners or operate their company-assigned vehicles recklessly (i.e., speed) to meet set delivery benchmarks.
• The retail giant has traditionally been unwilling to allow its workers to take faster, alternate routes to arrive at their final destination, meaning they often find themselves traveling down poorly maintained, tight, more pedestrian or heavy traffic roadways, potentially increasing the risk of striking others.

The factors above are just icing on the cake in terms of issues that contribute to Amazon truckers causing crashes. Countless other factors that can affect any other motorist, like drowsiness, distractions, intoxication, and not following the rules of the road, may plague Amazon’s delivery drivers. Those factors and situations like unsecured loads, taking turns too fast, failing to brake early enough to avoid a collision, and more may lead to tractor-trailer wrecks. These factors can become crucial pieces of evidence used by your Oregon Amazon truck accident lawyer.

What To Do After Being Hit by an Amazon Truck Driver in Oregon

By the time you’re reading this, you’ve likely already done all you can in terms of preserving evidence at the scene of your crash with an Amazon vehicle, sought medical attention, and even perhaps reported the incident to an insurer and started fielding calls from insurance adjusters. However, you might also be right there at the scene of the accident, wondering what to do. So, below, we’ll cover all the steps you’ll want to take post-collision to ensure you leave no proverbial “stones” unturned, as any oversights could ultimately affect the settlement of any case you file.

Here are the steps to take after a crash with an Amazon delivery vehicle:

• If you haven’t done so yet, call 911 and request law enforcement to come to the scene to make a report and facilitate the exchange of driver contact and insurance information
• Tell the 911 dispatcher or allow for the responding police officer to send paramedics if you, your passengers, the Amazon truck driver, or anyone else in the vicinity appears to be hurt
• Take photographs or video footage of the accident scene, property damage, injuries, traffic and weather patterns, and any other relevant details while waiting for police officers to arrive
• Write down witness names and contact information and record any statements they may provide at the scene
• Provide responding officers with factual information regarding the accident while avoiding making any statements regarding liability or the severity of injuries
• Seek medical attention, making sure to tell your treating doctor you just had an accident, even if you feel okay (and even if you didn’t have an ambulance come to the scene or your health deteriorates post-crash)
• Report the accident to the respective insurance companies, taking caution again to only provide facts and not conjecture about fault or discuss the extent of injuries you suffered
• Attend follow-up appointments as per your doctor’s orders and continue treating until you’ve reached maximum medical improvement (MMI)

Last but not least, consulting with an experienced Oregon Amazon truck crash lawyer who regularly handles these types of cases is also a critical step in your case. Although there’s a two-year statute of limitations to file a claim in our state for crashes involving tractor-trailers and other commercial carriers, there’s a lot, as hinted at above, that you can do or say that can irreparably harm the integrity of your case if you’re not careful. Having a lawyer involved at the earliest stages of your case who can advise you about how to handle certain situations can impact liability determinations and, consequently, recoverable compensation.

Our experienced attorneys at the Trucking Injury Law Group have a long track record of helping individuals like yourself who became involved in an accident with an Amazon truck in Oregon. We know liability laws that apply to cases like this and are well aware of the tactics insurers representing Amazon and its independent contractors take to deny liability so they don’t have to pay out what’s fair and just when someone gets seriously hurt due to their negligence. Contact our law firm to schedule a free consultation with one of our lawyers today so we can get to work for you and refocus your attention on returning to some sense of normalcy in your everyday life.

Amazon Will Try to Shift Responsibility

When it comes to Amazon, they may try to shift responsibility in these legal matters. First, Amazon relies on a network of third-party delivery service providers (DSPs) for its deliveries. These DSPs operate as independent contractors. In turn, Amazon can minimize its own liability in the event of accidents or incidents related to the DSP’s services. They may argue that it does not have direct control over these independent contractors’ actions, reducing their legal responsibility.

Determining fault can be like untangling a knot. Is it the driver, the DSP, or Amazon itself? Identifying the responsible party can be challenging, as multiple parties are involved in the delivery process. Amazon’s legal teams may exploit this complexity to their advantage. In turn, it can be difficult for someone without legal help to pursue claims against the company.

Amazon is a formidable opponent in legal disputes, with substantial resources and skilled attorneys. They are not hesitant to use these resources to defend against any type of legal action. Amazon is known for contesting claims and using that legal experience to shield itself from liabilities and damages resulting from these delivery-related incidents. With that in mind, you need professional, skilled, and experienced legal representation when dealing with Amazon.

If you find yourself in the middle of a legal dispute with Amazon over a delivery-related incident, you need to have an experienced trucking accident lawyer by your side. At Trucking Injury Law Group, we are here to advocate for your rights against Amazon’s legal machinery. Let us guide you through this complex process as we handle your claim against one of the largest companies in the world. From initial filings to negotiations, we will be with you every step of the way, providing the support and experience you need from a qualified Oregon Amazon truck collision lawyer.

Determining Liability with Help from an Oregon Amazon Truck Accident Lawyer

Once you or your Oregon Amazon truck accident attorney have homed in on who bears responsibility for the crash with an Amazon delivery vehicle that caused you to suffer injuries, it’s time to file a lawsuit.

Oregon is an at-fault auto accident state, which means that the party who caused the crash must generally pay for the damages they caused their victim to sustain. However, there is one big exception to this rule, which is that our state also follows the modified comparative fault rule. It states that an accident victim has to be less than 50% responsible for causing a crash to be eligible to recover damages by taking legal action.

Trucking Injury Law Group always recommend that motorists involved in crashes, especially with commercial carriers, where there can be many contributing factors and liable parties, always reach out for help in handling their cases. This is particularly important following Amazon truck accidents in Oregon since the online retailer is such a big business and has the backing of some of the most aggressive insurers in the business.

An initial discussion of your case with an attorney is completely free, so contact us to schedule it now.

How to Prove Amazon Is Liable for a Truck Accident

Proving liability for a crash is seldom easy to do, but it’s particularly challenging to do when a commercial carrier is involved. Why? Those operators are backed by big-name insurers that have big legal teams that fight with all their might to find ways to deny claims so as to not have to make any payouts to injury victims. That being said, plaintiffs must be able to prove the following to move forward in suing Amazon for their losses:

• That the Amazon trucker or delivery driver owed them a duty of care
• That something the online retailer’s driver did led to breaching the duty of care they owed you
• That you suffered harm because the Amazon employee violated their duty of care
• You have documentable losses (medical expenses, lost pay, pain and suffering, etc.) due to your involvement in the crash

Keep in mind that not all Amazon-branded vehicles are actually owned and operated by the retail giant. A contract company may instead hire its own staff, lease its own vehicles, and insure its own fleet. This may impact who you can hold liable for the damages you sustained in the wreck.

Additionally, it’s important to note that a driver isn’t always the one responsible for causing the crash. While it may seem that way on the surface, Amazon’s hiring practices, fleet management, auto manufacturing practices, road design and maintenance, and other factors that may extend beyond the retailer’s responsibilities may also give way to a crash occurring.

Trucking Injury Law Group Is Ready to Protect Your Rights

Know that no matter the cause of collision, you need a supportive Oregon Amazon truck accident lawyer. We can help you identify the liable party or, in some cases, the multiple parties responsible for what happened and, if you hire us, aid you in filing a claim against them.

Let us help you in dealing with Amazon following your Oregon wreck so you can focus your attention on your recovery or grieving the unexpected loss of a close family member. Call or contact our law firm online to schedule a no-risk, no-obligation case review and consultation with a lawyer in our office to know your rights and the next steps you should take in your accident case.