South Jersey Delivery Truck Accident Lawyer

Large, lumbering delivery trucks and vans have become common sights on highways and within South Jersey communities as the online retail industry continues to explode. We rely on the goods and services delivered to our doorsteps by delivery vehicles but the added traffic congestion, large size, and heavy weights of these vehicles have increased serious delivery truck accidents in South Jersey. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 5,936 fatalities occurred in 2022 due to medium and heavy-duty trucks like delivery vans.

Successfully navigating a delivery truck accident claim takes experience and persistence. Large online retailers like Amazon distance themselves from liability in accidents despite directing drivers and schedules. They do this by using contracted delivery service vehicles and independent contractors as drivers.

Common Causes of Delivery Truck Accidents in South Jersey

Delivery service vehicles weigh around 10,000 pounds when fully loaded—more than double the weight of the average car. They pose a significant danger to occupants of other vehicles in an accident, yet unrealistic delivery schedules commonly compel drivers to speed and drive aggressively through traffic while also making frequent stops, starts, and turns. Common causes of delivery vehicle accidents in New Jersey include the following:

• Speeding
• Distracted driving
• Aggressive driving
• Tailgating
• Unsafe lane changes
• Driver fatigue
• Inexperienced drivers
• Unbalanced loads
• Faulty equipment

Many delivery truck drivers reveal schedules requiring them to deliver a package every one to two minutes, resulting in poor decision-making as well as speeding and recklessness behind the wheel. Speak to a truck accident lawyer in Cherry Hill to learn more!

Types of Delivery Truck Accidents Common in South Jersey

Delivery truck accidents sometimes occur at high speeds on major highways, but more commonly they happen in congested traffic areas in city streets and neighborhoods. Common types of accidents involving delivery trucks include the following:

• Rear-end collisions
• Angle collisions (T-bone accidents) in intersections
• Head-on collisions due to unsafe passing or entering one-way streets in the wrong direction
• Sideswipes from unsafe lane changes
• Forced roadway departures
• Collisions from improperly exiting parking lots and driveways
• Rollover accidents due to the high center of gravity in tall delivery trucks

Roadway departure accidents also occur due to delivery vehicles. When a car driver swerves to evade an unsafe lane change or other collision with a delivery truck, they may run off the road and experience a single-vehicle accident caused by a delivery truck driver.

Injuries From Delivery Truck Accidents in South Jersey

Delivery trucks not only far outweigh standard vehicles, but their heavy-duty frames cause serious damage to smaller vehicles in a collision. Injuries in South Jersey delivery truck accidents range from mild to severe and include the following:

• Fractures
• Head injuries and traumatic brain injuries
• Neck injuries
• Back injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Knee injuries
• Spinal cord damage
• Burns
• Soft-tissue injuries to muscles and ligaments
• Facial injuries
• Bruises and lacerations

Injuries from delivery truck accidents often require expensive medical procedures, rehabilitative therapies, and weeks or months of missed work days. Some injuries result in permanent disability. Even less serious injuries can quickly cause financial hardship when the victim misses a paycheck and receives a large emergency room bill.

What to Do After a Delivery Truck Accident in South Jersey

When you experience an accident with a large truck, it’s traumatic and terrifying. You may be so seriously injured that you’re unable to do anything but wait for help; however, if you can safely use your phone you can preserve important evidence with your camera. You can also hand it to someone else to use for you if you’re too injured to move without causing further harm. Use your phone to take purposeful action and do the following:

• Call 911 to report the accident
• Take photos of the delivery truck and your damaged vehicle
• Take photos of the accident scene, even if you have to do it from your position inside the vehicle
• Take photos of any visible injuries
• Add the contact name of the delivery driver
• Add the contact information of eyewitnesses

Go directly to the hospital from the accident scene and have a complete examination as well as emergency treatment for obvious injuries. Ask for a medical report with details of your injuries, the doctor’s treatment recommendations, and your prognosis for recovery. Then, call an attorney before you speak to the insurance adjuster assigned to your case. Never accept an early settlement offer before speaking to an experienced attorney.

Liability and New Jersey’s No-Fault Insurance System

New Jersey is a no-fault insurance state that requires accident victims to file claims against their own insurance; however, depending on the terms of your contract there may be further options available to you. Proving liability in a delivery vehicle accident requires documenting evidence of the following:

• The at-fault driver owed a duty of care to take all reasonable measures to avoid causing accidents and injuries
• They breached this duty through an act of negligence
• Their negligent breach of duty directly caused injury
• The injury victim suffered serious economic and non-economic damages from the accident

It’s important to make a clear case to the insurance company that the accident occurred due to someone else’s fault.

Do I Have to Go to Court for a Delivery Truck Accident Claim?

Most delivery truck accident claims are resolved through a settlement with the insurance company. If the terms of your insurance allow a lawsuit, the case could go to court as long as the petition’s filing date is within the state’s two-year statute of limitations for injury claims. This is why prompt action on your claim is important. Your delivery truck accident lawyer needs time to investigate, gather evidence of liability, negotiate with the insurance adjuster and negotiate for a settlement.

Call Grungo Law for Legal Representation After a Delivery Truck Accident in South Jersey

Delivery truck accident claims are often complex, with multiple potential parties at fault for the accident including the driver, the delivery truck service, or the retailer. Contact a South Jersey accident lawyer today for a free consultation so we can begin working on your claim for prompt action in your case.