What Happens if You’re Hit by a UPS Truck?

What happens after you are hit by a UPS truck depends on your circumstances. You should always prioritize getting medical treatment and, if possible, collecting evidence at the scene. If the other driver’s negligence caused the crash, you could have the right to take legal action against the individual driver or against UPS.

A Pittsburgh UPS truck accident lawyer from our firm can explain what your first steps should be after a collision and how you can recover fair compensation.

What to Do Immediately After a UPS Truck Accident

How you react to your truck accident can make a big difference in how your legal case goes. For example:

• By getting medical care right away, you protect your health and help to establish a clear connection between the accident and your injuries.
• Taking photos and video of the scene, your injuries, and the involved vehicles shows the immediate consequences of the crash and what the scene looked like before others showed up or left.
• Speaking with the truck driver allows you to get their driver’s license and insurance information, which could make it easier to find them again and take legal action.
• By seeking help—from dialing 911 for police assistance to contacting a truck injury lawyer after receiving treatment—you ensure you have proper support as you start to heal.

While these actions are important, know that you can still file a case if you do not get the chance to complete them all. Motor vehicle accidents are often disorienting and even traumatizing, and our lawyers do not expect our clients to react “perfectly” to such events.

The most important thing you can do in the wake of an accident is to see a doctor and then speak with our legal team to learn about your rights.

How to Pursue Compensation After an Accident Involving UPS

There might be several ways to recover damages after an accident. Determining who is at fault for your truck accident is a critical early step, as this will tell us whom you can file a claim against after an accident that was not your fault.

Possible liable parties in a UPS truck accident case include:

• UPS, if they or their driver displayed negligence
• The UPS driver, if it was their careless driving that caused the accident
• A vehicle maintenance team, if a mechanical problem with the truck or your car contributed to the accident
• A vehicle part manufacturer, if an inherent flaw in a vehicle’s design or construction contributed to the accident
• A local government agency, if the lack of road maintenance was a factor in your collision

The most common liable parties in truck accident cases are the truck drivers and their employers. This is because driver negligence is a leading cause of motor vehicle accidents. Many cases involve:

• Unsafe speeds
• Failure to obey traffic signs or signals
• Lack of attention or distracted driving

Once we find out who caused your accident, we can:

• Determine what kinds of damages you and your family qualify for
• Send a demand letter to the liable party or parties and their insurance companies
• Meet with the insurer’s representatives and try to work out a settlement agreement that meets your needs.

While many personal injury cases are resolved at the negotiating table, others end up at trial. If you have to file a lawsuit, you have two years to do so, and our trucking accident lawyers can represent you in the courtroom.

No matter how you end up seeking damages, it is always important to act quickly to protect your rights.

How to Identify the Liable Party in a Truck Accident Case

By collecting a variety of evidence, a UPS truck accident lawyer can work to prove liability. Evidence may include:

• Video footage or photos from before, during, or after the crash
• Eyewitness testimony
• Expert testimony
• Prior complaints or legal actions against the driver or UPS
• Black box data (if available)

How UPS Might Respond to Your Legal Action

Large companies like UPS maintain large legal departments to deal with lawsuits from accident victims like you. These lawyers, as well as the company’s insurer, may use various techniques to end your case as quickly and as cheaply as possible:

• They might offer you a settlement right away, but this settlement will not necessarily reflect all your losses. If you accept the settlement, you will not be able to file another claim for more compensation if you run out of money.
• They may try to blame you for the accident, knowing that the greater your share of liability, the less money you can collect—and if you are found to be more than 50 percent responsible, you cannot recover any money at all.
• Some insurers try various delaying tactics, such as asking for irrelevant documentation or taking an unnecessarily long time to respond to your claim or other communications.

While it is possible that UPS and their insurer will handle your claim fairly, you should not assume that this will happen. It is better to be prepared by hiring a personal injury lawyer to protect your rights and make sure that everyone else involved in your case respects your rights.

Our legal team is willing to negotiate for a fair settlement on your behalf, if possible, but we are always prepared for the possibility that the at-fault party might resist your claim and compel us to go to trial.

If You Were Hit by a UPS Truck, Get Legal Help

If you are looking for representation after a truck accident, Trust the Name You Know. Call Berger and Green for a free consultation today.

We can tell you what happens if you are hit by a UPS truck and how you can take action to protect both your rights and your family’s future.