Common Injuries of FedEx Drivers
Chicago Lawyers to Fight for Benefits for FedEx Drivers Injured on the Job
FedEx operates almost 200,000 trucks across the country. The weight and size of its trucks can cause devastating accidents as well as a significant toll on the body in the form of repetitive motions and the accompanying strains. FedEx drivers are routinely placed at risk on the job. They are involved in fatal accidents each year. Often deaths of those in passenger vehicles occur, but in some cases, the FedEx driver also sustains injuries or death. It can be particularly dangerous, for example, for a FedEx driver to collide with a tractor-trailer. If you suffered the common injuries of FedEx drivers, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Call the experienced Chicago workers’ compensation attorneys of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We have more than 60 years of experience.
Common Injuries of FedEx Drivers
Everyone involved with FedEx delivery, whether contractors or those who work for the large freight carrier, feels pressure to perform and delivery goods on time. Common injuries that FedEx drivers experience include whiplash, back strain, concussions, and broken bones. FedEx employees, more broadly, can be injured in the warehouse, while loading packages onto trucks or operating conveyor belts.
In many cases, injuries are minor, the result of repetitive stresses or strains, but even these can have more lasting effects than initially anticipated. Visiting the emergency room or doctor and explaining that what you’ve suffered is a work-related injury will not only allow them to bill FedEx’s insurer directly but will also create documentation that clearly links your injuries to your job.
Unfortunately, FedEx drivers are also at an increased risk of being involved in a truck accident. Common injuries arising out of a truck accident include broken bones, contusions, head injuries, spinal cord damage, crushing injuries, bruises, and lacerations.
Even if you think FedEx knows about your injuries because they are the result of an accident, and even if you think the injuries are minor, you should provide notification of the work-related injuries to FedEx as soon as possible. While the notification need not be in writing to be legally valid, it is possible that FedEx will deny knowing about your work-related injuries in connection with your claim; however, written notice will serve as proof that you gave notice within the requisite time period.
Injuries can also occur when a driver is delivering packages to a recipient’s doorstep. These injuries can be the result of accidents caused by dangerous property conditions or strains placed on various parts of the body while lifting heavy packages.
What Workers’ Compensation Benefits Can You Receive as a FedEx Driver?
You are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits for any injuries or medical conditions related to your job as a FedEx driver. The benefits to which you’re entitled are no-fault benefits. That means we will not need to establish that a particular person was at fault for your injuries, merely that they were job-related.
Can I Sue for Damages?
When your injuries are the fault of a third party, such as another driver or property owner, our Chicago attorneys may be able to file a lawsuit for your full amount of damages. Unlike workers’ compensation benefits, these damages can only be recovered by proving fault. In most cases, we will need to prove by a preponderance of the evidence: (1) you were owed a duty of reasonable care, (2) breach of the duty, (3) causation, and (4) damages. FedEx workers may be injured by drivers who negligently speed, weave, fail to obey traffic signs and signals and drive while distracted, fatigued or under the influence.
Consult a Seasoned Attorney if You Are a FedEx Driver with a Common Injury
We represent injured FedEx workers in Champaign, Rockford, Aurora, Quincy, as well as Winnebago, Kane, Cook, Adams, and Sangamon Counties. Our Chicago attorneys also represent clients in third party lawsuits and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claims. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.