UPS is a popular delivery provider that offers services throughout the United States and around the world. As one of the largest delivery companies in the nation, there are countless UPS delivery trucks on the road at any given time. While most UPS drivers practice safe driving and never cause an accident, some do. Commercial vehicle accidents can be incredibly dangerous and cause severe injury or even death to the individuals who the truck collides with.
In this article, we’ll explore a brief history on UPS and the most recent UPS truck accident data, the most common causes of UPS vehicle accidents and the injuries that they often result in, and the most important steps you should take following an auto accident caused by a UPS truck driver.
UPS: A Brief History And Recent Accident Data
The United Parcel Service, or UPS, is an American-based delivery and supply chain management organization that services the United States and beyond. The company was founded in 1907 and has since grown to become one of the largest multinational delivery companies in the world.
Founded by James E. Casey in Seattle, Washington, UPS has expanded into several additional companies that provide a variety of services. These companies include UPS Next Day Air Service, UPS Airlines, UPS Logistics Group, The UPS Store, UPS Freight, and UPS Supply Chain Solutions. In 2019 alone, the company brought in $74,094 million and had an estimated $57,857 million in assets. They also had an estimated 495,000 employees worldwide.
Unfortunately, UPS is not without flaws and their drivers are only human. This means that accidents happen, and some of these accidents are severe in nature, leaving the victims injured or worse. In the last 24 months, UPS truck drivers received an estimated 2,069 citations for unsafe driving violations. These violations include speeding, failure to obey a traffic control device, using a hand-held mobile telephone while operating a UPS truck, lane restriction violations, inattentive driving, and improper turns. There were also 223 driver fitness violations, 10 drug and alcohol violations, and 3,870 vehicle maintenance violations.
What’s more, in the last year, UPS drivers were involved in 2,619 crashes, with 55 of them being fatal and 950 of the accidents resulting in injury. These accidents happened in nearly all states throughout the nation, including Kentucky, Texas, California, Florida, and Tennessee.
While UPS certainly takes precautions when it comes to ensuring the safety of its drivers and those around them on the road, these numbers clearly show that accidents happen.
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What Kind Of Training Do UPS Truck Drivers Receive?
UPS has several training centers throughout the nation where drivers go to learn the tricks of the trade and ensure they are sufficiently prepared to handle a large truck on the road. The most common training program offered by UPS is Integrad, which is similar to a boot camp in which aspiring UPS drivers spend five to nine days performing various simulations of truck driving and delivery services. Before UPS drivers can attend the course, they must first complete an online training course.
During the course of their training, UPS drivers are required to memorize the 10-point commentary and seeing habits that are cornerstones of safe driving with the company. These points and habits include instructions on safe driving behaviors, how to handle various situations on the road, and how to avoid hazards and how to check parked cars to see if individuals are inside. The training course also includes various hands-on experiences and prepares UPS drivers for nearly any situation they may encounter during their work.
Common Causes Of UPS Truck Accidents
There are several reasons why a UPS truck accident may occur. The most common causes of UPS truck collisions include:
- Driver fatigue
- Texting or talking on the phone and driving
- Mechanical issues
- Hours of service violations
- Distracted driving
- Using alcohol or drugs while driving
- Not maintaining the truck properly
- Inadequate loading of cargo
- Driver negligence
- Ignoring traffic laws
While these are some of the same factors that contribute to other auto accidents, the size of a UPS truck can result in much more harm when compared to car accidents between two smaller vehicles. The larger the truck and the heavier the load, the more severe the accident is likely to be.
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Common Injuries From UPS Truck Accidents
There are a number of different kinds of injuries a person can sustain as a result of an accident caused by a UPS truck driver. The speed at which the motor vehicles were going at the time of the accident and the size and weight of the UPS truck play a large role in the overall impact of the collision. Common injuries seen in UPS truck accidents include:
- Whiplash
- Concussions
- Back injuries
- Broken or fractured bones
- Neck injuries
- Head trauma
- Brain damage
- Mental anguish, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Burns, lacerations, and/or bruises
- Internal bleeding
- Death
Additionally, it’s possible to not realize you’ve been injured in an accident caused by a UPS truck until hours, days, or even weeks after the collision has occurred. This is often because of the adrenaline and endorphins released during an auto accident. These chemicals prevent individuals from feeling pain until they are safe. Unfortunately, when these chemicals subside, a person may be left with a serious injury they were unaware of. For this reason, it’s extremely important to seek medical attention immediately following an UPS truck crash, even if you don’t believe you’ve been injured. Seeking medical help later may affect your ability to receive adequate compensation for your injuries.
Steps To Take If You’ve Been Involved In A UPS Truck Accident
There are several steps you should take immediately following an accident with a UPS truck. These steps will support you when seeking compensation from UPS and include:
Call The Police
As soon as the accident happens, you should call the police to come to the scene of the collision. The police will provide you with a police report of the collision that includes witness information, images of the scene, and any violations or citations that were distributed as a result of the accident. For example, if the UPS truck driver ran a red light, the police would likely give the driver a traffic violation citation.
Take Pictures Of The Scene Of The Accident
If you have a camera or mobile device available, take photos of the vehicles involved in the accident, the scene of the accident, and any injuries you or others in your vehicle sustained. This is an important form of documentation that will help you prove your case when working with UPS to get compensation for the injuries and damages you experienced.
Get The Contact Information Of Any Witnesses
If there were any witnesses to the accident, such as cars that were behind or in front of you at the time of the collision or individuals who happened to see the accident, try to get their contact information before they leave the scene. Witnesses are often an important component of a case against delivery services like UPS, and it can be difficult to track down witnesses once they’ve left the scene.
Seek Medical Attention
If you’ve called the police, they will likely send out an ambulance in addition to the police men or women. You should elect to go to the hospital or emergency room with the ambulance if possible, even if you don’t feel that you’ve sustained an injury. This will provide you with important medical documentation you can use when seeking compensation for your injuries.
Document All Damages
Another important step is to keep documentation of all damages incurred as a result of the accident. This documentation can include property damage, such as the total cost to repair or replace your vehicle; medical expenses; any loss of income as a result of the accident, and emotional distress.
Determining Whether The UPS Truck Driver Was Driving Negligently
An important part of building a case that proves the UPS truck driver caused the accident is establishing the negligence of the driver. There are several types of negligence that can be proved, including:
- The driver’s failure to follow traffic laws
- Distracted driving on behalf of the UPS truck driver
- Failure to inspect the UPS truck or failure to maintain the truck sufficiently
Document, such as the police report and the photos you take at the scene of the accident, can help establish negligence and ensure you have a strong case when going up against UPS.
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Contact The Florin|Roebig Truck Accident Lawyers
Calculating damages, seeking compensation, and facing a large trucking company like UPS can be a challenging and overwhelming experience. Luckily, the dedicated truck accident attorneys at Florin|Roebig are equipped to handle even the most difficult commercial truck accident cases and are more than willing to support you in a way that ensures you get the compensation you need and deserve. Call us today for a free consultation at (800) 226-6581.
