Delivery Truck Accident Lawyer in Tampa

The person who caused a delivery truck crash isn’t always the only person whose conduct matters. A driver may be employed by one company, operating a vehicle owned by another, and completing deliveries arranged through a third-party logistics provider. When you’ve been injured in a delivery truck crash, untangling those relationships is critical to identifying the parties responsible and the insurance coverage available for your claim. Our Tampa delivery truck accident attorneys at Jeeves Law Group, P.A. can investigate those relationships and put our 75+ years of combined experience to work for you.

What Happens Behind The Wheel Isn’t Usually The Whole Story

Delivery trucks from companies such as FedEx, Amazon, UPS, and other national and regional carriers are a familiar sight throughout Tampa. But the company associated with a delivery doesn’t necessarily tell you who employed the driver, who owned the vehicle, or who may ultimately be responsible for a crash.

Delivery drivers also face circumstances that don’t exist in the same way for ordinary motorists. They may make frequent stops, back into driveways, navigate apartment complexes, load or unload packages, or work under demanding delivery schedules. For instance, a driver backing out of a Tampa apartment complex while focused on the next delivery could strike a pedestrian or another vehicle. Investigating that crash may require more than reviewing the driver’s statement.

Is The Delivery Truck Driver The Only One Who Can Be Liable for The Accident?

Not necessarily. A delivery truck crash may involve the driver as well as businesses involved in the delivery operation. Potentially responsible parties may include:

• The delivery driver
• The driver’s employer
• A delivery contractor
• The vehicle owner
• A third-party logistics company
• A maintenance provider
• Another negligent motorist

What Was The Driver Doing Before The Tampa Delivery Truck Crash?

A driver may have been:

• Making a scheduled delivery
• Traveling between stops
• Loading or unloading packages
• Backing into a property
• Following navigation instructions
• Using a phone
• Working under a delivery schedule

Florida’s distracted-driving law, Fla. Stat. § 316.305, prohibits manually typing or entering multiple characters into a wireless communications device for certain nonvoice communications while operating a motor vehicle. That may be relevant when investigating a delivery crash involving phone use. For example, if a delivery driver was looking at a phone while approaching an intersection, vehicle data, witness accounts, or video may help establish what happened.

When The Delivery Company May Share Responsibility

The driver’s relationship with a delivery company may be vital when determining whether another business may share responsibility for the crash and your injuries. Some companies hire drivers directly. Others use independent contractors, delivery service providers, or third-party logistics companies. A 3PL may arrange transportation, coordinate carriers, manage routes, or subcontract delivery work without employing the driver.

A company may argue that a driver was an independent contractor rather than an employee. That classification doesn’t automatically resolve every negligence issue. Florida’s Fla. Stat. § 440.02 provides employee and independent-contractor definitions for workers’ compensation purposes. However, those definitions are not a universal test for determining vicarious liability in every personal injury case.

Depending on the facts, an investigation may also examine negligent hiring, retention, training, supervision, vehicle maintenance, or the company’s decision to use a particular contractor. The goal isn’t to assume a company is liable, but to determine whether its own conduct contributed to the crash.

Why Insurance Coverage is a Significant Issue in Tampa Delivery Truck Crashes

A delivery truck may be covered by commercial insurance rather than an ordinary personal auto policy. Multiple policies or insurers may also become involved depending on who owned the truck, employed the driver, contracted for the delivery, or operated the transportation business. For instance, a local delivery contractor may operate the vehicle while another company arranged the delivery, and a separate business owns the truck. Those relationships may affect which policies apply.

Our delivery truck accident lawyers in Tampa can investigate the applicable coverage before treating an insurer’s initial position as the final answer. The goal is to identify the available sources of coverage and determine whether the insurance being offered is sufficient to address your crash-related losses.