UPS truck accidents in Florida can happen when UPS or its drivers do not take proper safety measures. If you or a loved one suffered injuries during a collision with a UPS truck in Florida, an attorney from our Florida truck accident firm will work to prove the negligence of the liable parties.
Safety measures must cover the truck, cargo, and how the driver operates the vehicle. Any lapse in safety practices can cause catastrophic injuries—as you or your loved one now know.
How UPS Must Ensure the Safety Of Its Vehicles
The United Parcel Service (UPS) employs more than 500,000 people globally. While it may seem difficult for UPS to account for each of its countless trucks, that is the company’s responsibility.
As part of its duty of care to its drivers and other motorists on Florida’s roads, UPS leadership must:
Hire Only Qualified Drivers
UPS notes that its drivers do not typically need a commercial driver’s license (CDL), as drivers of 18-wheelers do. However, UPS must ensure every driver it hires is qualified. It may ensure this by:
- Reviewing the driver’s personal and professional driving record
- Demanding that the interviewee explain any red flags on their driving record
- Completing essential driving tests
- Disqualifying any driver that is not completely qualified to operate a UPS vehicle
While UPS delivery vehicles are not semi-trucks, they can be far more difficult to operate than passenger vehicles. Therefore, if UPS hires any driver with questionable qualifications and that driver causes an accident, UPS may have committed negligence.
Monitor Its Drivers Vigilantly
Even a qualified driver may pose a danger to the public. If a UPS delivery truck driver is impulsive, prone to road rage, or has a substance use disorder, they pose a clear threat to those they drive among. Some drivers may simply make poor decisions.
If a UPS driver engages in dangerous or careless behavior, UPS must discipline the driver. If the behavior rises to a certain level of misconduct, UPS must terminate the driver.
Provide Safe Delivery Vehicles
With UPS’s financial resources, there is no excuse to put dangerous vehicles on the road. Every delivery vehicle that UPS paints its colors on must meet the highest safety standards.
Services Its Fleet of Trucks Regularly
UPS vehicles amass substantial wear and tear. Carrying heavy cargo loads and traveling all kinds of roads daily can tax a UPS delivery truck’s tires, brakes, and other components.
UPS should have systematic procedures for servicing vehicles. All regional UPS carriers, including those in Florida, must follow those service guidelines. If a UPS driver or administrator fails to service a vehicle as necessary, they are negligent.
When UPS administrators or drivers fail, accidents happen. An attorney from our firm will determine if UPS failed to follow the best safety measures. We’ll seek fair compensation for your accident-related damages in Florida.
How UPS Truck Drivers Must Operate Their Vehicles to Avoid Causing a Collision
Much can go wrong as a UPS driver operates their truck. Cargo can shift unexpectedly, vehicle components can fail, and other motorists can act erratically. The UPS truck driver must operate with the utmost caution, which means:
- Traveling within the posted speed limit
- Checking blind spots before changing lanes, making turns, proceeding through yield signs, or moving into oncoming traffic
- Abiding by all traffic lights and stop signs
- Driving in a manner appropriate for weather conditions
- Traveling at a safe distance from the vehicle in front
- Stopping for a potential problem with the delivery truck
- Refraining from driving while intoxicated, under the influence of drugs, emotionally upset, or tired
If a UPS driver did anything to contribute to your accident, they and their employer may be financially responsible for your damages. Our legal team will work to prove it.
How an Attorney from Our Firm May Prove UPS’ Negligence
Our firm has represented victims of UPS truck accidents. Just as we did in those cases, we might be able to prove the negligence of a UPS driver or their employer by:
- Securing footage of the accident: Our team will gather video footage of your collision if it is available. Footage may come from traffic cameras, security cameras, cell phones, or other sources.
- Getting witness accounts: Eyewitness testimony can be powerful evidence in a UPS accident claim or lawsuit. We will get any available witness accounts, as well as the police report documenting your collision in Florida.
- Securing any evidence in UPS’ possession: UPS may have driver histories, activity logs, digital data, and other evidence relevant to your case. We will take legal measures to secure any such evidence.
- Hiring experts to review your accident: Experts may testify about liability, reconstruct the accident, or help our case against UPS in other ways.
- Highlighting the defendants’ history of negligence: If the liable driver, another UPS employee, or a UPS facility has a history of negligence, this could be relevant to your case. We’ll secure any available documentation of the defendants’ past negligence.
UPS is a formidable legal opponent. The company undoubtedly has an experienced insurance company and legal counselors on its side. You should also have experienced legal professionals representing you.
Waiting to hire our firm could have significant consequences. Valuable evidence may become unavailable, and you could even miss the deadline for filing a claim or lawsuit. Do not wait to let us fight for you.
Call The Law Offices Of Anidjar & Levine Today for a Free Consultation About Your Florida UPS Truck Accident
Florida law generally requires us to file a lawsuit against UPS within two years of an accident. We want to keep this deadline open, as it is an important leverage point in settlement negotiations. This means you should hire a UPS Tampa truck accident lawyer from our firm as soon as possible.
Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today for your free consultation. You pay no costs or attorney’s fees up front, and we don’t collect a fee unless you win your case.