Amazon trucks are common across Kentucky, which is home to Amazon distribution centers in Lexington, Louisville, Hebron, Shepherdsville and Campbellsville, as well as the Amazon Air Hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Putting such a large fleet of trucks on the road – estimated at more than 40,000 nationwide – inevitably leads to truck accidents, injuries and deaths.
As is the case with many companies operating large fleets of tractor-trailers, Amazon employs some drivers and contracts with others. This causes complications for anyone seeking justice for injuries suffered in an Amazon truck accident. Amazon will often deny responsibility for an accident by claiming the truck driver was an independent contractor in a truck Amazon does not own.
Pushing back against a giant corporation like Amazon takes courage as well as an understanding of liability in truck accidents. It takes courage to fight the company and their insurers as they try to deny responsibility for your losses. At Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, our Amazon truck accident lawyers can provide the Kentucky Courage you need to fight for the compensation you deserve for injuries or the death of a loved one in a truck or delivery van accident.
Call us now for your free consultation with an Amazon truck accident lawyer in Kentucky who can help with your injury claim. Let Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer explain how we can help you secure your financial future and get back to living your life.
Is Amazon Responsible For My Truck Accident Injuries?
Truck drivers who work for Amazon in Kentucky are a mixed bag. Those who drive tractor-trailers for Amazon may work for the company but are often employed by independent trucking companies that contract with Amazon. Delivery truck and van drivers for Amazon also work independently of the company through contracts. This status can make a difference when the truck driver is responsible for an accident.
Under personal injury and insurance law, a company has vicarious responsibility for the actions of its employees. This means a company like Amazon or a trucking company contracting with Amazon can be held liable if an employee of theirs – a truck driver – injures someone else in an accident caused by their negligence or a violation of the law.
But if the Amazon driver in an accident is not employed by Amazon or another firm, the company(s) can deny responsibility. Any legal claim would be directed at the driver. This is important because Amazon recruits its delivery drivers through subsidiaries of the company:
- Amazon Delivery Service Partners (DSP) seeks entrepreneurs to buy their own fleets of Amazon delivery vans and hire drivers. These drivers then work for an independent company owned by a “Partner” who contracts with Amazon. That company would be responsible for a negligent driver.
- Amazon Flex, for which drivers use their own vehicles to deliver packages for Amazon. These drivers are considered independent contractors with Amazon Flex.
Amazon Flex requires its delivery drivers to maintain commercial auto liability insurance. This coverage provides up to $1 million for injuries and property damage suffered by third parties in Amazon delivery truck or van accidents. Amazon provides similar commercial auto insurance to DSP companies for their drivers.
The issue with Amazon Flex commercial auto liability insurance is that the coverage only applies if the driver was actively working for Amazon at the time of the accident. If they were not, the accident falls under the driver’s personal auto liability insurance, which at the minimum required in Kentucky pays up to $25,000 for bodily injury or property damage. Determining whether a delivery driver was truly “on the clock” at any point in time can be tricky for a job designed to offer flexible schedules.
Amazon is a multi-billion-dollar company that knows it must play within the rules but at the same time can hire fleets of lawyers to make sure it has protected itself as well as the law allows. Most individuals hurt in accidents involving Amazon trucks have little recourse or understanding of what’s right when told they must contact some other company or a part-time driver about their injuries.
But an Amazon truck accident lawyer from Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer can unravel the ties and legal responsibilities between Amazon and a DSP company, an independent trucking company, Amazon Flex and the driver who caused your injuries. We can get justice for you.
What to Do After an Amazon Truck Accident
If you should be in an accident with an Amazon truck or van, it is important to get as much identifying information about the driver and who he or she works for as you can.
Immediately following an Amazon truck or van accident:
- First, call 911 to report the accident, and if anyone is injured, request an ambulance.
- Exchange driver’s licenses, vehicle registration and insurance information with the Amazon driver.
- Ask the Amazon driver who they work for. If they say “Amazon,” press them: Who is their employer, Amazon or another company? Are they an employee or a contractor? Who owns their vehicle?
- Take photos of the vehicles in the crash and their damage, including a photo of the Amazon vehicle’s license plate.
- Get contact information for any witnesses to the crash, including any passengers in your car.
- If you are injured and advised to leave in an ambulance, do so. If you do not go directly to the hospital, see a doctor within 24 hours to treat and document your injuries.
- Report the accident to your auto insurer.
- Do not indicate in any way or to anyone that you could be to blame for the accident, and do not downplay the extent of your injuries. Do not post to social media about the accident or your injuries.
- Contact a truck accident lawyer.
Talk to a Seasoned Amazon Truck Accident Lawyer in Lexington, KY
Don’t try to deal with Amazon or some Amazon-connected trucking or delivery company on your own after an accident. They have structured their business organization to protect themselves from accident claims and know how to get an advantage over you. Instead, get a delivery truck accident lawyer who will look out for your needs.
A Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer Amazon truck accident attorney will pursue every option and make every effort to recover the settlement you deserve to have after an accident. We know what Amazon is doing and we know the trucking industry.
Sometimes it takes courage to fight back. But we see that courage every day in the people of Kentucky. Let us fight for you.
