Amazon sells millions of products every day, and it has to coordinate deliveries to households and businesses across the country. While Amazon owns a fleet of commercial trucks that’s used to transport its products long distances, most last-mile delivery services are typically farmed out to other companies.
Because these delivery vans operate in busy streets, neighborhoods, and commercial areas, accidents involving Amazon delivery vehicles can and do happen in places like Round Rock. When a crash occurs, determining who is legally responsible isn’t always straightforward, especially when multiple companies are involved in the delivery process.
If you were injured in an accident involving an Amazon delivery vehicle, speaking with a Round Rock delivery van accident lawyer can help you identify who may be liable and protect your right to pursue compensation. Contact Dow Law Firm today to discuss your case and learn about your legal options.
Who Can Be Held Liable in an Amazon Delivery Van Accident?
Amazon uses Delivery Service Partners (DSPs) like the United States Postal Service (USPS), FedEx, UPS, and other contractors to handle doorstep deliveries. The Delivery Service Partners are responsible for hiring, training, and supervising delivery drivers. Since multiple parties can be involved in the delivery process, liability can be complex when an Amazon delivery van is involved in a traffic accident.
Liability for Amazon delivery van accidents in Round Rock, TX, will depend on things like:
- Who caused the accident
- Whether the delivery driver was employed directly by Amazon or a third-party DSP
- The degree to which Amazon exercises control over delivery operations
Ultimately, several parties may bear responsibility for Amazon truck accidents, including the Amazon delivery driver, the Delivery Service Partner, and even Amazon itself. An experienced Round Rock delivery van accident lawyer can help you navigate these complex liability questions and identify all potentially responsible parties.
Can I Sue Amazon After a Delivery Van Accident in Round Rock?
Possibly, yes. Even though Amazon has contracted a lot of delivery services out to third parties in an attempt to avoid liability for delivery accidents, there are times when the multi-billion-dollar corporation can still be accountable for a crash.
Amazon can be liable for its own negligence or harmful actions if they contribute to an accident. For instance, if Amazon imposed nearly impossible delivery deadlines and harsh consequences for drivers who failed to meet them, the company could be liable if those policies led drivers to drive irresponsibly and cause accidents.
Amazon can also be vicariously liable under the doctrine of respondeat superior for driver negligence, like speeding, texting and driving, or drug and alcohol use. Vicarious liability typically only applies to an employee-employer relationship. This can be easy enough when a delivery driver is an Amazon employee. It can be more difficult, but not impossible, when a driver is contracted by a DSP.
If it can be proven that Amazon exercised considerable control over the driver’s job and deliveries, that can potentially override the third-party contractor nature of the relationship. A skilled delivery van accident attorney understands how to investigate Amazon’s control over its delivery operations and build a case for corporate liability.
How Is Liability For an Amazon Delivery Van Accident Determined?
Most Amazon delivery van accidents happen because someone is negligent. In Texas, anyone whose negligence contributes to a collision can be liable for damages. Determining liability, therefore, depends on establishing precisely why a delivery van accident happened and how it could have been avoided.
This will require a prompt, in-depth investigation and careful consideration of important evidence, which often includes:
- Dashcam footage
- Forensic evidence from the scene of the truck accident
- Tire tracks and skid marks
- Physical damage to the vehicles involved in the wreck
- Eyewitness statements
- Vehicle maintenance and inspection records
- Cell phone records
- Social media posts
- Medical records
- Police reports
Fortunately, you don’t have to figure out how to do all of this on your own, nor try to take on a powerful multinational corporation like Amazon by yourself. In situations like these, it’s important to hire an experienced Round Rock accident attorney to represent you. A delivery van accident lawyer will have the resources and expertise needed to gather critical evidence and build a compelling case on your behalf.
Contact a Round Rock Delivery Van Accident Attorney at Dow Law Firm
Traffic accident victims in Texas turn to Dow Law Firm for help with these complex, high-value legal disputes. As award-winning litigators backed by decades of combined experience, our team of delivery van accident lawyers has helped clients stand up to intimidating corporations and win tens of millions of dollars in damages.
Now, we can help you navigate the liability issues that could complicate your fight for compensation after an accident involving an Amazon delivery vehicle, too. Contact our delivery van accident attorneys in Round Rock today at (512) 240-9951 to schedule your free consultation and learn more.