With the steady increase in online orders, there are also growing numbers of car crashes involving an Amazon Flex driver. If this is your situation, you need to get in touch with an experienced Jacksonville car accident lawyer to understand your legal options for recovering damages.
Contact us as soon as possible after your accident and schedule a free case review. In the meantime, let us give you the key details you need to know.
Are Amazon Flex Drivers Employees?
Just like rideshare drivers, Amazon Flex drivers are not employees of the company, but independent contractors. Basically, any adult with a valid driving license can enroll in the program and make local deliveries for Amazon orders.
This means two main things:
- Accident victims cannot sue Amazon directly claiming vicarious responsibility.
- Amazon Flex drivers are not specially trained commercial drivers and may be at higher risk of causing an accident due to the added stress of fulfilling the order.
Under New Florida Law, You Have to Prove Fault
2023 brought a major change to Florida legislation regarding car accidents and compensation. The new comparative negligence principle written into law stipulates that only the driver who is 50% or less at fault has the right to seek damages.
Thus, if you were involved in a crash with an Amazon Flex driver, you will have to prove that they were more at fault than you in order to have the right to file an accident claim.
Can You Get Compensation From Amazon for an Accident?
We stated above that you cannot sue Amazon for a crash caused by a Flex driver on duty. However, it does not mean that you cannot get compensation from the online retail company.
Amazon provides its Flex drivers with insurance coverage of up to $1,000,000. However, the condition of the policy is that the driver is “actively driving and delivering” on behalf of the company. This means that:
- The driver accepted a delivery order and is driving to pick it up.
- The driver has the package and is driving to the client’s address.
In any other situation, you will get compensation only from the driver’s auto insurance policy.
What to Do After an Amazon Flex Accident
A Jacksonville car accident attorney advises to follow the same basic steps as after any car crash:
- Report the accident to the police
- Exchange insurance and contact information with the other driver
- Take photos and videos of the accident scene
- Ask any eyewitnesses to give you their contact details
- Seek medical care as soon as possible after the accident.
In addition, ask the driver if they were active in the Amazon Flex app and engaged in a delivery. If so, the driver should also provide you with the insurance details of the Amazon Commercial Auto Insurance Policy.
You Will Be Dealing with a Highly Experienced Insurance Adjuster
If the Amazon insurance policy kicks in, you must be aware that your claim will be handled by a big insurance company. And the bigger it is, the harder it will try to protect its profits by denying or reducing the values of filed claims.
Thus, you will have to face a trained and experienced adjuster, who knows every tactic in the book to get you to drop your claim or make self-incriminatory statements. This is why you should avoid talking to an adjuster on your own, even if they seem friendly and helpful.
Let a Skilled Jacksonville Car Accident Lawyer Negotiate Your Claim
If you were hit by an Amazon Flex driver on duty, you have the right to receive the maximum compensation for your damages from the Amazon insurance company. However, this can happen only if you have a knowledgeable attorney by your side.
Our Florida car accident lawyers can face an insurance adjuster and level the playing field. We know how to interpret the law and the available evidence to prove the Amazon Flex driver’s fault and justify your damages.
Call us at 954-448-7355 as soon as possible after your accident to schedule a free case review with us!