What to Do If a FedEx Truck Hits Your Car

• February 02, 2022
• Truck Accident

If a FedEx truck collides with you as a pedestrian, as a bicyclist, or as a driver of a passenger car, you could be facing significant hardship from medical problems and financial worries. FedEx drivers are professionals, but they still sometimes make mistakes behind the wheel. If you have injuries or financial problems because of an accident that was not your fault, you have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit to recover your financial losses.

FedEx trucks vary in size. They also can carry items of varying weight. A larger, heavier truck could cause very significant injuries in a crash. Some of the injuries you may suffer after an accident with the FedEx truck could be life-altering. You may never be able to enjoy the same quality of life that you had before the accident. You may never be able to work again.

FedEx is a large company, and its insurer will have plenty of attorneys on hand to try to prevent you from recovering damages that you are entitled to after the crash. You will want to consider hiring a car accident lawyer to give yourself the best chance of protecting your rights to obtain a fair settlement as a result of your crash.

What Is the First Step I Should Take If a FedEx Truck Hits My Car?

First Responders May Want You to Go to the Hospital

When wondering what to do if a FedEx truck hits my car is to consider seeking medical care. If a large truck hits you, chances are good that you will have injuries. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an average truck will weigh 20 to 30 times more than a passenger car. This difference in weight can create significant forces that impact your body inside the car in a crash. The greater level of force can lead to major injuries for you.

If your injuries are serious enough, you may end up riding to the hospital in an ambulance. Receiving emergency care may be necessary to give you the best chance of recovery. Even if your injuries are not immediately life-threatening, first responders may recommend that you go to the hospital in an ambulance. You have the right to refuse this recommendation. However, listening to trained medical professionals is often your best move.

See Your Personal Doctor As Soon As Possible

Even if you refuse a trip to the hospital in the ambulance, you still will have an opportunity to seek a personal injury lawsuit. However, you will need to have a doctor or other medical provider document your injuries. A Washington personal injury lawyer can advise on these procedures and ensure that all necessary medical documentation is in order for your case. FedEx’s insurance company is not going to simply take your word for it about the types and severity of injuries you claim that you suffered due to the accident.

To maintain your ability to file a claim, you can follow up with your personal doctor, preferably within a couple of days of the accident. Be completely honest with your doctor about the pain you are feeling and about the types of injuries you have. It is important to have a complete and accurate documentation of the injuries you suffered. Insurance companies will refer to the doctor’s notes when considering a settlement offer. So, any injuries you try to claim months down the road that are not part of the doctor’s notes likely will become a point of contention.

Follow Up on Your Treatment and Care Techniques

When wondering what to do if a FedEx truck hits my car, the other primary step you should take is to follow your doctor’s advice for treatment and ongoing care. You need to attend all of your follow-up appointments. If you are feeling better in a few months, but the doctor wants you to participate in a few more physical therapy sessions, you should follow the doctor’s advice.

If you fail to attend all of your scheduled appointments or if you break off care in the middle of your treatment, the insurance company is going to accuse you of being less seriously injured than you are claiming in your personal injury case.

Immediate Steps to Take If a FedEx Truck Hits Your Car

If you are physically able, you should take a few steps immediately after a FedEx truck hits your vehicle.

• Call emergency personnel: Call first responders after the crash. Police can investigate what happened and create a report about the accident that our team can use if you hire us to represent you in a personal injury lawsuit. First responders can tend to your injuries in the crash at the scene, too.
• Take notes about the FedEx driver: Write down the truck number, license number, and insurance information for the FedEx truck driver. Police will track this information, too, but it is helpful to your personal injury attorney to have this information as quickly as possible.
• Photograph the scene: Take photographs of damage to the car and to the FedEx truck, as well as any areas around the scene that show skid marks or damage to other items. If possible, photograph any bruises, cuts, or other injuries you may have.
• Take notes about witnesses: If anyone saw what happened during the accident, ask them for contact information. Your truck accident attorney will want to be able to speak to these witnesses.
• Take notes about the circumstances leading to the crash: If you noticed the FedEx driver was weaving in and out of the lane before the crash or was clearly looking at a GPS screen and not watching for other drivers or for pedestrians, tell police about this. Such behavior could indicate the FedEx driver was violating Washington’s distracted driving rules.

Do not angrily confront the FedEx driver or begin making accusations about what happened. Do not admit fault for the accident, either. Let the police conduct an investigation while you take care of the action items identified above.

It is highly unlikely that a FedEx driver would try to flee the scene, but if he or she tries to drive away after the accident, do not become confrontational. Do not try to run in front of the truck to stop it. If the FedEx driver chooses to speed away, you could suffer additional injuries. Let the police find the driver later.

How Much Money Can You Win When a FedEx Truck Hits Your Car?

As experienced truck accident lawyers, the team at Montoya Hinckley would never promise that you will win a certain amount in a personal injury claim against FedEx. This is unethical behavior for any attorney. What we can promise is that we will try to help you get the largest possible settlement, based on the facts in your case.

As a general rule, the greater the level of injuries you suffer if a FedEx truck hits your car, the more money you potentially could win. Factors that typically determine the amount of a settlement or award for victims of the negligence of truck drivers include the amount of medical bills, the amount of work they miss, the length of recovery, whether they have any disabilities or disfigurement, or whether they have suffered a significant reduction in their quality of life.

Our Truck Accident Attorneys Will Work Hard for You

Someone who suffers a paralyzing injury or a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a FedEx truck accident, and is never able to work again could be in line for a very large settlement. Someone who returns to work a few days after the crash and who does not need ongoing medical care may receive a smaller settlement. Between both ends of the range, many other potential settlement amounts are possible depending upon the circumstances of your case. Your personal injury attorney will study all of the facts in the case and discuss with you the potential value of your case.

You may be able to receive compensation for items like:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma
• Medical bills reimbursement
• Lost wages reimbursement

Montoya Hinckley Is Ready to Help If You Are Hit By a FedEx Truck

We all enjoy seeing a FedEx driver show up with a package. You may even get to know your FedEx driver if you receive shipments regularly. If you are hit by a FedEx truck, you may almost feel guilty about filing a personal injury claim. You may not want to have the driver end up in trouble. So you may wonder what to do if a FedEx truck hits your car.

At Montoya Hinckley, our team understands that you may have some apprehension about filing a personal injury claim against the FedEx driver. Remember, however, that you did not do anything wrong to cause the crash from which you are trying to recover. Your lost income from being unable to work is not your fault. Even the best FedEx drivers could make a mistake. FedEx has insurance policies to help them cover costs associated with a driver’s mistake. Your claim is likely against the company, not the individual driver. So you will not be filing for a judgment directly against the driver. Instead, the company’s insurance policy would likely pay out any potential settlement.

FedEx Drivers Cause More Accidents Than You May Think

Accidents involving FedEx trucks occur with some regularity in Washington State and in the United States. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, on average, FedEx truck crashes result in almost 100 injuries per year and, tragically, a few fatalities. Our team of attorneys is ready to help you figure out what to do if a FedEx truck hits your car. We will aggressively pursue your right to receive the compensation that you deserve as a result of an accident caused by FedEx.

Please call the team at Montoya Hinckley at 509-895-7373 for a free case review. Washington law gives victims up to three years to start a personal injury claim, but we recommend that you contact us as quickly as possible after the crash. The sooner we can begin looking into the accident, the better, because it allows us to conduct a timely investigation and speak with witnesses before their recollections fade.