Amazon has established itself as one of the biggest companies in the world and one of the largest logistical suppliers. However, their business practices and their rush to get every package delivered on time, has led to tragedy. Many don’t realize it, but Amazon accidents are deadly.
Death by Amazon
In 2013, Amazon saw unprecedented holiday sales. UPS and FedEx were unable to handle the massive influx of packages in time for Christmas. As a result of that incident, Amazon bought a fleet of 20,000 delivery vans for residential fulfillment.
In the past five years, Amazon van drivers have killed 10 people and injured hundreds more. In the case of most businesses, the company responsible would face “Respondeat superior” (Latin for “the master answers”). This doctrine would require the business face consequences for policies that allowed these deaths to occur. Yet Amazon does not answer for these deaths, claiming the van drivers are independent contractors.
While Amazon packages were once synonymous with UPS, times have changed. About half of all Amazon deliveries are now fulfilled through these contractor vans. However, these drivers are often undertrained or even untrained. According to a 2019 book, The Cost of Next-Day Delivery, most of Amazon’s contractor van drivers have little or no oversight.
Safe and Sound
Other major delivery companies, including UPS, have extensive training programs and oversight from the federal government. UPS drivers, for example, are instructed to avoid left-hand turns whenever possible to avoid exposing themselves to traffic.
Amazon drivers do not receive that same training and oversight. As a consequence, people have suffered serious injuries or even died at the hands of these unsafe, undertrained drivers.
If you or someone you love suffered serious injury or wrongful death as the result of a delivery truck accident, you might have a case. If you’d like an experienced Pasadena personal injury attorney from McGee, Lerer & Associates to evaluate your case, please send us an email or call (562) 270-0546.