What to Do If a FedEx Truck Hits Your Car

You are probably used to seeing FedEx® trucks around the local area and depend on them to deliver packages on time. Unfortunately, FedEx drivers can also be involved in accidents occasionally, and you might be wondering what to do if a FedEx truck hits your car.

This can be stressful, but you do not have to go through it alone. You should count on Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law to represent you. Learn more about what to do after a FedEx truck accident in Texas and rely on our team to protect your rights.

Get Help from an Experienced Car Accident Attorney

You, like most people, are doing an increasing percentage of your shopping online. You expect rapid, worry-free delivery of the goods for which you have paid. However, that is increasing the load on local, state, and national roadways and increasing pressure on the drivers delivering those goods.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), accidents involving commercial drivers increased by 40% between 2009 and 2017.

The big 18-wheel vehicles and smaller vans employed by carriers like FedEx may present a danger to other drivers. With these trucks on the road more often today, you may wonder what to do if a FedEx truck hits your car.

What to Do if FedEx Truck Hits Your Parked Car

If you are involved in an accident involving a FedEx truck, the process for dealing with the incident may be more complicated than the simple fender-bender you have previously experienced.

Commercial drivers have more stringent regulations and carry more insurance in their expensive policies. There is a greater expectation that commercial drivers will be safe when operating their vehicles.

The companies have a battery of attorneys and accountants only interested in protecting their company’s financial position.

Differences Between a Car Accident and a FedEx Truck Accident

In most fender-benders, a car will hit another from behind, and a concerned driver will jump out and apologize. In addition, a commercial driver will be calling their dispatch person to report the incident to discuss what they need to do.

The drivers have been trained not to admit anything. You will not get a resolution on the spot simply by exchanging insurance cards. FedEx owns a fleet of vehicles, and some drivers are FedEx employees. However, they also employ independent contractors as drivers.

The company is huge and has subsidiaries that farm out various duties, such as vetting drivers regarding their licensure and actual driving. An accident with such a driver brings about even more complications, as FedEx will deny any responsibility for the accident as an employer.

This does not mean receiving compensation for your property, or injuries is impossible if a FedEx driver is an independent contractor. You may seek damages from an individual driver.

Is a FedEx Driver Responsible for Damages in an Accident?

Under the law, an employer may be held liable for negligent actions of their employees when the employee is doing business for the employer. This may be the case when a FedEx truck driver crashes into your car.

However, if the driver is an independent contractor, that driver may be solely liable for any damages they caused in the accident unless that driver works for another company that FedEx pays to deliver their packages.

There may be situations where both the driver and the employer are liable for damages. In Texas, when there are often multiple defendants in vehicle accident claims, each defendant is responsible for the percentage of the damages they caused.

However, when a driver has committed a felony or has done something intentionally to cause the accident, FedEx may deny liability in those cases. There may exist circumstances in your case where a faulty brake system or some other manufacturing defect has played a part in causing the accident.

A person or company responsible for maintaining the truck to road-worthy standards may have failed to properly maintain the FedEx truck involved. Those people may also share responsibility for compensating you for your losses.

What Kind of Compensation is Available in an Accident with a FedEx Truck?

Generally, the compensation you receive for an accident with a FedEx driver may be the same as in any other automobile accident. That could include:

• Economic Damages – money to cover items such as:
  • Car repair
  • Medical bills
  • Lost wages from the time you have been unable to work
  • Expected earnings for work you may miss in the future because of an injury.

• Non-economic Damages – money to compensate for the loss of quality of life due to negligence:
  • Pain and suffering
  • Physical impairment
  • Physical disfigurement.

• Punitive Damages – when the FedEx driver was grossly negligent. These damages are capped in Texas at twice the number of economic damages, plus the amount of non-economic damages (up to $750,000) or $200,000, whichever is greater.

Can You Reach a Settlement in a Lawsuit Following a FedEx for a Truck Accident?

The short answer is yes. Settlements are a common means of getting the best possible outcome in a truck accident lawsuit when a FedEx driver is responsible for damages or injuries.

You may get the compensation you deserve quickly and efficiently if the company offers a fair settlement. If there is no offer of a settlement, you should be prepared for litigation – and potentially, a trial.

How Much Money Can I Recover After an Accident with a FedEx Truck?

Ultimately, it depends on the circumstances of the accident. There are some situations where you might be able to recover thousands of dollars, and there are some settlements that could add up to millions of dollars.

Some of the factors that will play a role include:

• The extent of your property damage, including whether you have to replace your vehicle after the accident.
• The size of your medical expenses, including not only your current medical bills but also future medical expenses that you might have to cover.
• Any income that you might have lost, as you might not be able to return to work following the accident if you have suffered serious injuries.
• Emotional distress, if you have evidence from a mental health professional showing that you have experienced significant pain and suffering.
• Punitive damages, which may be awarded if the circumstances of the accident were particularly egregious.

If you want to maximize the potential compensation that you can receive following an accident involving a FedEx truck, you need to reach out to our legal team as quickly as possible.

We need to review the case to make sure that any insurance company, or FedEx itself, offers you a fair settlement.

Why Choose Us?

Some of the reasons why you should rely on us to represent you include:

• We have a significant amount of experience in this area, and we can use that experience to help you recover the compensation you deserve.
• We have an extensive list of prior case results showing that we can recover significant compensation for our clients.
• We have plenty of positive reviews and ratings that have been written by prior clients, which serve as a testament to the quality of our services.
• We will treat your case with the care and compassion that it deserves.
• We will communicate closely with you to ensure you know exactly what is going on.

Count on Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law to help you.

How We Can Help You

There are plenty of ways that we can assist you as the process unfolds. They include:

• We can interview witnesses and subpoena documents that we can use to support your case.
• We can negotiate with the insurance company if they reach out to you to offer a settlement.
• We can reach out to expert witnesses who may be able to recreate the accident and review your injuries to make sure we have an accurate picture of what is going on.
• If we feel you are not offered a favorable settlement, we can take your case to trial.

Call Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law today to learn more about how we can help you following a FedEx accident.

Our Attorney Gets Compensation for People Involved in FedEx Truck Accidents

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident involving a FedEx truck, you can call the accident and injury law office of Terry Bryant.

Our car accident lawyers have helped thousands of people receive justice through the legal system in personal injury cases.

We will discuss all the issues that arise when a FedEx truck hits your vehicle, including potential compensation for damages to you or your property.

We are ready to take on large corporations like FedEx, a company with many lawyers on their payroll and the resources to make your life miserable.

We refuse to let good people be treated unfairly. Call us now at (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000.