Postmates Accident Lawyer in Fresno CA

An already painful car accident injury can quickly turn into a nightmare when it involves a Postmates delivery driver. Contact us today to get your legal claim started on the right foot.

Postmates Accidents in Fresno

Hunger is a powerful motivator. A craving can make us jump in the car at 9 p.m. for a run to a fast-food restaurant or the grocery store. And by now most people in Fresno have figured out there’s another option…having someone else deliver that meal for you, day or night.

Food delivery services like Postmates make food runs up Highway 99 and across McKinley Avenue nearly non-stop. If you happen to travel these roads and highways yourself, you may notice all the drivers representing rideshares and delivery services and it may make you wonder. How safe am I alongside all of these distracted workers rushing from restaurants to homes and back again?

Distracted Driving Accidents Involving Postmates Drivers

The desire to do a good job for your employer is an admirable quality, but when it’s a frantic task done behind the wheel, that dedication can prove a deadly threat to other motorists. You could be trying to get to work or school and not notice a Postmates driver staring at a cellphone while heading straight for you.

ABC30-TV reported that nearly 3000 deaths were caused by driver distraction nationwide in a single year. Also, distracted driving was a factor in nearly 60% of all California crashes involving teen drivers in 2018.

It’s a hazard that can lead to scary accidents and Postmates and other delivery drivers have plenty of reason to be distracted.

Here are some of the most common distractions and safe driving hazards Postmates employees deal with each shift:

  • Cellphones — A large portion of a job for Postmates depends on the company’s app. Orders arrive there on the phone, instructions from picky eaters can be included. Mapping for the job starts with the app. If a driver is at the wheel while trying to determine the next location, inattention, even for a moment, is almost guaranteed.
  • Driver emotional and physical state – Delivery workers may be dealing with some issues in their personal lives, like any driver. The difference is they are operating a vehicle and trying to work while dealing with these outside factors. A driver may not be getting enough sleep and could be a danger on the road.
  • Speeding – The hope of a good rating does some funny things to Postmates workers. They want the best score possible, so drivers may justify speeding or other reckless moves to get to a customer’s home quickly. They want to make sure the food arrives warm or groceries are delivered fresh and still cold.
  • Working for Doordash Too! – Many employees in fast food and grocery delivery try to work for more than one company at a time. It can mean double the orders and double the tips, but the rush to get all those orders out can lead to double the danger of a collision.
  • Drug or Alcohol Abuse. Delivery companies have a zero-tolerance policy for drug and alcohol use, but sometimes drivers make bad decisions. Delivery and rideshare drivers face stricter laws. A regular driver must keep their blood alcohol content (BAC) under .08% but many delivery drivers must stay under.04% BAC to be avoid being illegally operating a motor vehicle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if Postmates won’t accept liability in an accident they caused?

In the worst-case scenario, if neither the Postmates driver’s insurance nor Postmates itself will help with your accident expenses, you may be forced to file a claim against your own auto insurance.

This would be a claim against your policy’s uninsured/underinsured coverage. Beware because even though you’re working through your own insurance agents, they may still treat you like the enemy. Without an attorney representing you, they could make you a lowball offer for your pain and suffering or try to dismiss your claim altogether. That should be a last resort because with the help of an attorney you should be able to hold an at-fault driver and/or the company they drive for responsible for your hardships.

Does Postmates provide insurance coverage for accident victims?

After an accident caused by a delivery driver, you’ll first file a claim against that driver’s personal car insurance policy. You also may quickly hear back that the claim is denied because many insurance companies won’t cover their policyholders while they are working for a rideshare or a food delivery service. If that’s the case, Postmates does back it’s drivers and their victims with insurance coverage. They provide a one million dollar third party supplemental insurance policy. The catch is, the driver is only covered when they have the food or groceries for an order in the car.  Once the groceries are dropped off the coverage supposedly ends. An experienced attorney can raise other issues with the employee’s driving record and Postmates hiring and training policies to try to force them to accept more liability.

What kind of damages can I ask for in an accident claim?

Most everything physically and financially you have suffered in the aftermath of an accident can be part of the demands in a claim for damages. Ambulance fees, hospital bills, and future rehabilitation therapy can all be compensated. The wages you’ve lost while you couldn’t make it into work in the past and in the future can be part of an award. The emotional anguish you’ve had to cope with since the accident, including the loss of doing the things you love can be covered. The costs of psychological counseling can also be included.