Getting into a car accident can be such a stressful experience for everyone involved. With so many cars on the road, millions of car accidents happen each year. Car accidents occur so frequently that you may have passed by a fender-bender on your drive to work or school. No matter who’s involved in the car accident, there are a lot of details to work out between insurance companies. But what happens when you get into an accident with someone who is driving for a delivery service like Postmates or UberEats? A delivery vehicle accident can become even more complicated because the other driver may be using their own car as a personal delivery vehicle. If you or other drivers and passengers suffer a car accident injury, too, you must determine who’s at fault and how to get the coverage and compensation you need for medical expenses and beyond.
Factors That Impact Delivery Drivers
What happens when a food delivery driver ignores a stop sign in their rush to drop off the next order and ends up smashing into your car? Is the driver responsible for the car accident, or is it the delivery company? The answer isn’t always easy to figure out. The increase in the popularity of delivery services for meals, groceries, and other household goods creates an increase of delivery drivers on the roads. Because we know car accidents happen every day to all kinds of people, this increases your likelihood of getting into an accident with a personal delivery vehicle. Delivery drivers are under a lot of pressure to make deliveries as fast as possible, and drivers may even get rewarded for their swift service or penalized if they are too slow. This can encourage delivery drivers to speed, run stop signs or red lights, and take risks that can put other drivers around them in danger.
Delivery drivers also put more miles on their cars than the average driver, which increases their odds of getting into a car accident. The more often you are on the road, the more likely you are to end up involved in a car accident, even if it wasn’t your fault. Delivery drivers also end up on unfamiliar roads, working through hazardous weather conditions and driving a lot of miles at night. The combination of these factors means that a delivery driver may not be as familiar with the area you live in and even less familiar with the typical ebb and flow of traffic in your area. If you’ve been injured in a car wreck with a delivery driver, you will need prompt medical attention and treatment for your injuries and should explore all your options for getting those expenses covered appropriately.
What Happens with Accidents with Personal Delivery Vehicles
If you get into an accident with a personal delivery vehicle and the other driver is at-fault, then you may want to investigate how to receive compensation from the at-fault driver and their company. When you file a claim, you might be surprised at limitations to your options based on certain delivery company policies and procedures. The process for dealing with car accident injury claims when a large delivery company is involved can get tricky. Here are a few examples of personal delivery services and how their policies can impact your ability to get the compensation you need for any injuries suffered in a car wreck with one of their drivers.
DoorDash
DoorDash is an online food ordering and delivery platform. The company’s insurance policy typically only covers the driver when they are actively picking up or dropping off a delivery. In between these instances, the driver may be waiting for another order to come through, in which case they are not covered by DoorDash and would have to use their own personal car insurance policy.
Instacart
Instacart is an online grocery delivery and pick-up service. Similar to DoorDash, delivery drivers pick up and drop off online grocery orders right to your door. Instacart does not currently have an insurance policy if one of its delivery drivers is at fault for a car accident. This means you would have to file a claim against the driver’s personal insurance policy. In this instance, you run the risk of dealing with a driver who is uninsured or has a limited policy that won’t provide the coverage you need.
Postmates
Postmates is another online food ordering and delivery service that has expanded into groceries and other household items. Also, like DoorDash, delivery drivers who are actively picking up an order or delivering an order are covered by the company’s insurance policy. Otherwise, the delivery driver would then use their personal car insurance.
UberEats
UberEats is an online food ordering and delivery service run by Uber, a well-known rideshare company. Drivers for UberEats have access to different levels of insurance depending on their status and whether a delivery is in progress.
Getting the Coverage You Need for Car Accident Injuries
No matter what type of car accident you get into with a driver of a personal delivery vehicle, here are some important steps you should take to ensure you get the coverage you need for any car accident injuries.
File a Police Report
Any time you get into a car accident, you will want to file a police report. When you call 911 after a car accident, they will send first responders to the scene to assess the situation. The police officers will review the details of the accident with both drivers and determine who was at fault. They will provide a detailed record of the car accident in their police report. Part of the claims process for a car accident injury will typically involve submitting a police report of the accident as evidence.
Keep Good Records
If you suffered a car accident injury, you will want to keep good records of all your medical details and expenses. When you maintain good records, you can easily reference what has been done and what still needs coverage. You should keep track of any related car repairs or other costs that you have incurred since the accident. It can also help you to jot down your experience of the car accident, how you felt immediately afterward, and any obvious signs or symptoms of an injury you noticed. This can help jog your memory as the days and weeks go on.
Visit a Car Accident Doctor
While you may have received medical attention at the scene or at an emergency room, a car accident injury will typically require follow-up treatment and care elsewhere. Car accident doctors specialize in treating all kinds of injuries suffered in a car wreck, including whiplash, back pain, broken bones, and other common injuries. Because they work with these kinds of injuries every day, they can help spot signs and symptoms of a car accident injury even before you do. A car accident doctor will provide you with a thorough workup, including a diagnosis, treatment plan, and timeline for recovery.
How Car Accident Doctors Can Help You
Visit AICA Orthopedics in Tucker and experience first-hand how car accident doctors can support you. Here’s what you can expect from our team of Tucker car accident doctors at AICA Orthopedics.
Diagnosis
Our car accident doctors understand the importance of an accurate diagnosis for your injuries. We have a thorough diagnostic process that includes a physical examination, a review of your medical history, and a discussion about your present symptoms. At AICA Orthopedics car accident clinics, we also have access to state-of-the-art diagnostic tools like X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs in the office. This means you can get the scans you need in our office with convenience.
Treatment
Our Tucker doctors will provide you with a personalized treatment plan for your specific car accident injury. The treatment plan will address your specific symptoms and how the injury has impacted you. With a team of multi-specialty doctors, your treatment plan may include a combination of techniques with orthopedic doctors, chiropractors, and more. We recognize that no two injuries are alike and only provide you with a treatment plan that will positively impact you and your recovery.
Recovery
When you see a car accident doctor after a wreck, you can expect them to support you through the recovery and rehabilitation process. Our team of car accident doctors includes physical therapists who can provide you with continued support while you rehabilitate from your injuries. You may be surprised at how much a car accident injury impacts your quality of life. We partner with you on your journey to recovery to help you heal faster and return to the activities you enjoy.
Visit a Tucker car accident doctor near you at AICA Orthopedics and get started. You can visit us online or call to schedule an appointment. Our team of car accident doctors will provide you with prompt medical attention and support throughout your treatment and recovery process. We are dedicated to providing detailed records of your injuries that can be useful in the insurance claims process.