Who Is Liable for FedEx Truck Accidents in Albany?

Determining liability in truck accidents can be difficult, especially when collisions involve commercial vehicles. A lawyer can get to the bottom of who is liable for a FedEx truck accident in Albany and help you seek compensation for your injuries. Often, both the corporation and the truck driver are at fault. 

When investigating an accident, an Albany FedEx truck accident lawyer will often gather a variety of evidence, such as driver logs and black box data, to identify any party that caused or contributed to the crash. They can then work to hold each party accountable for their share of the blame.

Vicarious Liability and the Challenge of Taking On a FedEx After a Truck Accident in Albany

When an accident involves a commercial vehicle like a FedEx truck or van, there are typically multiple potentially liable parties beyond just the driver. This is due to a legal principle known as vicarious liability.

Under vicarious liability laws, employers like FedEx Corporation can be held responsible for the negligent acts or omissions committed by their employees during the course of their job duties. So, if a FedEx driver causes a crash through distracted driving, speeding, fatigued driving, or other negligence, the corporation can be vicariously liable. 

An Albany truck accident lawyer can help you seek compensation in a case that involves vicarious liability. They can help prove the liability of the corporation as well as the driver. 

Making a Claim Against FedEx

Accident victims can pursue a claim or a lawsuit against FedEx. This can open the door for them to seek significant compensation rather than just whatever an individual driver may be able to pay out-of-pocket or through their own insurance policy. 

However, the tradeoff is having to go up against FedEx’s aggressive team of corporate lawyers, adjusters, and actuaries. As a massively wealthy multinational company, FedEx spares no expense to avoid liability and minimize settlement payouts whenever possible.

How an Albany FedEx Truck Accident Attorney Can Help

When making a claim or taking legal action against a corporation, an Albany personal injury lawyer can protect you from bad-faith insurance tactics like:

• Questioning or downplaying the severity of your injuries
• Arguing that the driver wasn’t officially “in the course of employment” at the time
• Using complex legalese and statutes to attempt avoiding vicarious liability
• Delaying and dragging out negotiations to pressure you into an unfair settlement
• Disputing negligence despite clear evidence through revisionist accident reconstructions
• Deploying unlimited financial resources to prolong and wage scorched-earth litigation

An injured victim making a claim against FedEx is facing a formidable party with endless defenders on its payroll. Retaining legal representation from a FedEx truck accident lawyer in Albany, NY, with ample resources and experience can level the playing field. 

Other Potentially Liable Parties in FedEx Truck Crashes

While the vicarious liability of FedEx as the employer is a core issue, there may be several other parties that contributed to a serious truck accident. An Albany truck accident attorney can conduct an investigation to identify all potential defendants and sources of compensation.

Some other common liable parties include:

The Truck/Vehicle Manufacturer

If the accident was caused or made worse by a defective vehicle or component part like tires, brakes, etc., the truck maker or parts manufacturer could be liable through product liability claims.

Companies Responsible for Truck Maintenance

FedEx or third-party companies hired to repair, inspect, and maintain the truck’s operating condition may have missed issues that led to a malfunction causing the crash.

Companies That Loaded the Cargo Improperly

Improper loading, overloaded, or unbalanced cargo can make trucks more difficult to control and increase rollover risks. The cargo company could be sued for negligence.

Other Negligent Drivers

In multi-vehicle pile ups or collisions, other negligent drivers who triggered the chain of events would also be liable parties.

Public/Private Road Entities

Poor road design, lack of signage or warnings, or improperly maintained road conditions may constitute negligence by the city, county, state, or private company responsible.

No matter who the potential defendants turn out to be, an Albany FedEx truck collision attorney can go after every single one who contributed to the crash for their portion of the fault. This maximizes the total available insurance policies and compensation sources to cover your full damages.

Your Legal Deadline for Filing a FedEx Truck Accident Lawsuit

In New York State, the statute of limitations for most personal injury cases is three years from the date of the accident, per CVP § 214. Miss this deadline, and you can be completely barred from having your case heard or recovering any compensation whatsoever.

While three years may seem like plenty of time, the reality is building a strong case against FedEx takes extensive investigation and preparation. Important evidence like camera footage, maintenance logs, driver hiring/safety records and more can be challenging to obtain or preserve once memories fade.

An Albany, NY, FedEx truck accident lawyer needs ample time to:

• Interview witnesses while accounts are fresh
• Acquire videos/photos of the accident scene
• Inspect the vehicles for manufacturing defects
• Reconstruct the crash sequence
• Calculate your current and future damages
• Build a compelling claim for FedEx’s insurers

If settlement negotiations are unsuccessful, further time may be needed to properly file a lawsuit and allow for the litigation process before the three-year window closes.

Call Morelli Law to Learn More About Who Is Liable for FedEx Truck Collisions in Albany

Determining liability after any motor vehicle accident can add stress to a victim as they heal from their injuries. You don’t have to do it alone. A FedEx truck accident attorney in Albany, NY, can help you. 

Call Morelli Law Firm for a free case evaluation. We can discuss your accident and explain more about how our truck accident lawyers can help.