UPS has evolved to become the most efficient, sustainable, and safest delivery service globally, fulfilling over 24 million deliveries every day. The company also boasts of the best truck driver-safety training curriculum and 10,779 drivers with more than 25 years of accident-free driving.
However, that does not mean UPS drivers cannot cause accidents even with such incredible records.
If you have been injured in a UPS-related accident, you could be eligible for compensation. But the steps you take after an accident can make a massive difference in the amount of compensation you recover for your damages.
Talk To a Truck Accident Attorney
While you could be eligible for compensation for UPS truck-related accidents, getting what you deserve can be a long and complicated process. Therefore, it is important to work with a lawyer that has experience handling truck accidents, specifically UPS trucks.
Even when the UPS insurer calls in the days following a UPS accident with an offer to settle, it is best not to take it as it may be less than what you deserve. Instead, let your local truck accident lawyer handle all the negotiations for you to avoid getting a bad deal.
Call 911
As soon as you get into an accident, call 911. Doing this brings the police and paramedics to the scene.
It may not be mandatory to get first aid at the scene, but it is a good idea even when you feel okay. Getting checked at the scene can help rule out the possibility of injuries that may not be apparent immediately.
It is also important to have the paramedics take you to the ER for further checkups. Besides ensuring that your health is taken care of, getting medical attention from the scene creates a paper trail that links your injuries to the accident. Also, medical records play a significant role in determining the value of damages.
Document The Scene of The Accident
Depending on the accident location, there could be a few minutes between placing the 911 call and having the first responders arrive at the scene. Ideally, you need to use these minutes to document the accident by taking pictures of the scene and your injuries. Video footage can also help.
Also, you may want to collect witness testimony and contacts, plus the UPS driver’s names and contact information. If your injuries can’t allow it, you can ask a bystander to help you or leave evidence collection to your lawyer.
After documenting the scene and handing over your evidence to your lawyer, it is best to concentrate on healing and allow your lawyer to gather other relevant evidence, such as the police and the paramedic’s report on your behalf.
File a Lawsuit
After gathering the relevant evidence, the next step would be filing a claim with UPS which starts with notifying them of your intentions to pursue compensation. After UPS replies, the claim moves to the discovery phase.
The discovery phase is very significant because your lawyer gets to access the evidence in the hands of the at-fault party. Evidence that could be in UPS possession can include the affected truck’s dashcam footage, inspection records, driver logs, and black box, all of which are critical in establishing liability.
In most cases, personal injury claims settle in the negotiations stage, which follows the discovery phase. If that does not happen, the case goes to trial, where the jury determines liability and the settlement value.
If you approach your claim with an experienced lawyer, you can expect the value of your settlement to be adequate to cover economic and non-economic damages.
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