You’ve seen them everywhere, in suburban towns and on city streets and most definitely on your own street. You, your neighbors— seemingly everyone— has come to rely on them, for everything from paper towels to groceries to holiday shopping. The bright blue Amazon delivery van with the white Amazon smile logo on the side. And those are the vans we know about— how about the thousands of other vans driven by small businesses that have been set up to deliver for Amazon?

While we all know that Amazon is now part of our lives, we should also know how dangerous driving and negligent parking by Amazon drivers is destroying lives. You have seen those trucks making dodgy left turns and parking on the side of the road with no room to pass. According to an article in Bloomberg, Amazon tracks its drivers very closely; not for safety but to keep pushing deliveries. We know that Amazon pushes its drivers to get deliveries done no matter how tired and hungry the drivers are. We know that Amazon wants deliveries made no matter the weather and no matter how dark the roads are. We know that Amazon is driven by profit, not safety.

Amazon (and Amazon Logistics, its subsidiary) only carries insurance for its full-time drivers, not for its flex-time drivers and independent contractors it hires for deliveries (and Amazon only ships approximately 20% of its own packages). This means that keeping Amazon in the lawsuit can depend on the state where the crash happened, and the control Amazon has over the negligent driver. This is something your lawyer needs to understand while litigating the case because it could provide more insurance coverage.

So, what do you do if you’re in a crash caused by an Amazon driver?

• Call the police. Don’t let the Amazon driver talk you out of calling the cops.
• If you are in tremendous pain, ask the cops to get you medical attention.
• If your pain is not severe at first but starts to kick in over the next few days, make an appointment to see a doctor.
• Take photos and video if you can (thankfully most everyone has a cell phone on them).
• Call a personal injury lawyer who has experience bringing lawsuits against trucking corporations and ask for a free personal injury consultation.

So, what damages does the law give you if you are injured by a negligent Amazon driver?

• Pain and suffering.
• Loss of enjoyment of life.
• Past medical bills that were not covered by automobile insurance.
• Future medical bills.
• Lost wages and income.
• Future loss of earnings.
• Loss of services to your spouse.

If you or a loved one was injured by an Amazon delivery van, you are entitled to know what compensation that law allows you to help you move forward with your life. Contact an experienced personal injury lawyer today to know your options; our Hackensack, NJ trucking lawyer at O’Cathain Law Group is ready to take on your case and get you the compensation you deserve.