Michigan Amazon Truck Accident Law: What You Need To Know
When you have been injured in a truck accident with an Amazon truck in Michigan, one of the most important things you can do is hire an experienced attorney who will know about Amazon’s use of apps like Relay to hire companies with poor safety records who have never been vetted by the FMCSA.
Amazon hires out these companies who have a history of crashes and safety violations because they accept Amazon’s low payments. Knowing this can make a big difference in a settlement amount if you’ve been injured by an Amazon truck.
To find out what your case may be worth, please check out our Settlement Calculator.
Amazon truck accident statistics
Amazon truck accident statistics show the company was involved in 145 crashes that were reported to the FMCSA in the last two years. Of the 1,606 vehicle inspections conducted, 402 or 25% revealed safety violations. Significantly, unsafe driving violations were uncovered in 211 driver inspections. There are no Amazon truck accident statistics for the state of Michigan at this time.
(Source: FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), SAFER System, Company Snapshot for Amazon Logistics Inc., d/b/a PRIME, SMS Results, BASIC Status (Unsafe Driving – On-Road Performance))
How Relay app plays a role in a Michigan Amazon truck accident?
Amazon uses apps like Relay, and this and similar apps could significantly affect a Michigan Amazon truck accident settlement. The Relay app makes it possible for many so-called “chameleon carriers” – unsafe trucking companies that reopen under a new name after being shut down for too many truck crashes or too many safety violations under a previous business name – to get back out of the roads despite their dangerous driving history. These types of trucking companies are often the only ones who are willing to work for the low load payments that Amazon insists on paying.
Apps that Amazon uses when hiring out transportation companies to drop off loads also puts the public further at risk because many companies that Amazon selects through these apps have little or no transportation experience. Many have not been subjected to meaningful scrutiny by the FMCSA, which means these companies that are dropping off Amazon packages and causing truck accidents in Michigan may have serious safety issues that would otherwise put these trucks immediately out of service. The saying that you get what you pay for is particularly true when it comes to the commercial transportation vehicles driving for Amazon in Michigan.
As Michigan is one of the few states in the country without punitive damages to deter companies like Amazon from hiring out loads to particularly unfit drivers or especially dangerous companies with terrible safety records, the likelihood of being involved in a Michigan Amazon truck accident with a company that has a poor safety rating increases.
Think of apps like Relay as similar to an Uber or Lyft, but for bigger trucking companies to hire out loads to smaller trucking companies. In the case of Relay, these companies register with Amazon Relay and they are able to “find, book, and execute Amazon loads” that need to be delivered, just as the Uber and Lyft apps connect drivers to passengers who need rides. Unfortunately, in my experience as a truck accident lawyer in Michigan, Amazon does little or no vetting on the companies that use this app to deliver Amazon loads and deliveries.
Pain and suffering compensation
You or a loved one may be able to recover pain and suffering compensation from Amazon, the at-fault driver and other responsible parties after a Michigan Amazon truck accident if you or your loved one has suffered a “serious impairment of body function” under Michigan’s auto accident threshold law.
Wrongful death after a Michigan Amazon truck accident
If you have lost a loved one in a Michigan Amazon truck accident, then you and your family will be able to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against Amazon, the at-fault truck driver and other responsible parties.
A Michigan wrongful death lawsuit allows you and your family to recover damages for: (1) medical, hospital, funeral, and burial expenses; (2) pain and suffering compensation; and (3) loss of the deceased’s financial support, society and companionship.
Who can be sued?
When you or a loved has been involved in an Amazon truck accident in Michigan, an experienced lawyer will look into liability (who you may be able to sue) for the following parties: (1) the company; (2) the company driver who caused the crash; (3) the maintenance company; (4) the shipping company; (5) the load broker; (6) the leasing agent; (7) the trailer owner, if separate from the company; (8) the loading company; and (9) the manufacturer.
No-Fault benefits
When you have been injured in a Amazon truck crash in Michigan, you are entitled to collect No-Fault PIP benefits from the responsible auto insurance company to help pay for your medical bills, lost wages, transportation costs for medical appointments, and attendant care services.
To protect your right to recover No-Fault benefits, you must file an application for No-Fault benefits – which is also called a “written notice of injury” – with the responsible auto insurance company within one (1) year after any crash involving Amazon. (MCL 500.3145(1) and (4))
Generally, the insurance company that is responsible for paying your No-Fault insurance benefits will be your insurer or the insurer of your spouse or a relative living in your home. If no coverage is available through those sources, then you will need to apply for No-Fault benefits through the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan.
If you do not file your application on time, then the auto insurance company will use this to deny your claim and refuse to pay any and all of the No-Fault benefits you would have otherwise been entitled to.
Were you injured in a Michigan Amazon Truck Accident? Get help from a Michigan Auto Law truck crash attorney
If you are injured in a Michigan Amazon truck accident and you want to know about your legal rights to sue for pain and suffering compensation, economic damages and No-Fault benefits, you can speak to an experienced Michigan attorney at (248) 353-7575 for a free consultation. You can also get help from an experienced trucking attorney by visiting our contact page or you can use the chat feature on our website.
For more than 50 years, our attorneys have been helping people like you who have been injured in a serious truck crash injury and death cases. Our lawyers understand the physical, emotional and psychological hardships you are experiencing. We can help.
Michigan Auto Law specializes in truck accident cases and receives referrals from lawyers all over Michigan. Attorney Steven Gursten is a past-president of the American Association for Justice’s Truck Accident Litigation Group and speaks at legal seminars throughout the country teaching other attorneys how to handle cases involving Amazon and other trucking companies. Our law firm has an extensive record of success, including recovering the highest recorded jury verdicts and truck accident settlements over multiple years, according to year-end compilations of settlements and trial verdicts by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. These include:
- $34.5 Million – Our team secured the largest-reported tractor-trailer crash settlement in the U.S. for that year. It is the largest truck settlement by an attorney in the state.
- $14.3 Million – Our attorneys won this truck accident verdict in Clinton County in a case involving a traumatic brain injury, extensive economic damages and loss of consortium. The defense’s final pre-trial settlement offer was $25,000. This was the largest-reported motor vehicle trial verdict in Michigan for that year.
- $13.5 Million – Our attorneys settled a case for a victim in a car vs. tractor trailer crash who suffered major burn injuries.
- $10.5 Million – We obtained this truck accident recovery for a woman who was seriously injured when a truck crashed into her vehicle.
- $9 Million – Our truck accident lawyers obtained this recovery for a man who lost both of his legs in a rear-end collision. This was the largest pain and suffering trucking settlement of the preceding decade for a rear-end crash in the state.
- $6.2 million – This confidential out of state trucking death case was settled by a Michigan Auto Law attorney who was brought in to try the case by another attorney after the insurance company made a “final” offer of $1 million dollars to the widow of the man who was killed.
