Hurt in a Crash With an Amazon Delivery Truck in Doral? Get Clear Answers Before You Decide What's Next

Amazon truck accidents in Doral can cause serious injuries. They can also cause losses that last for years. If an Amazon delivery truck hurt you or someone you love, you may have legal options under Florida law.

This guide covers:

• The first steps to take
• Who may share responsibility
• What catastrophic injuries and wrongful death mean for families
• The deadlines that apply

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based firm. It focuses on personal injury cases of every severity, including truck accidents.

Why Amazon Trucks Are Part of Everyday Life on Doral Roads

Amazon delivery trucks are a common sight on Doral’s busy roads. They share lanes with commuters and families.

Doral sits in Miami-Dade County. Heavy trucks use the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826), Interstate 75 and the Florida Turnpike. A crash can happen on a fast highway or a busy city street.

Many Amazon deliveries are made by independent delivery companies. The truck in a crash may be driven or owned by a contractor. It may not be run by Amazon itself. The company that controls the truck may be different from the company whose name is on the box.

Anyone who has sat in Palmetto Expressway traffic on the way to a Miami Dolphins game knows how fast a lane can stop moving. A loaded truck makes every sudden stop more dangerous. The people who need help are usually not truck drivers. They are ordinary drivers, passengers and pedestrians. They were simply trying to get home.

What to Do Right After a Crash with an Amazon Truck

Get medical care and call 911 right away. Do this even if your injuries seem minor. Some symptoms take hours or days to appear.

Keep every doctor visit. Follow your doctors’ care.

Next, gather facts while they are still fresh. Write down:

• The truck’s USDOT number
• The company name
• The unit number
• Any trailer markings

Take photos of vehicle positions, damage, skid marks, traffic signals and any spilled packages. Collect the names and phone numbers of witnesses.

Ask the investigating officer for the crash report number. Florida requires a long-form crash report to be completed and submitted within 10 days after an investigation of a crash that resulted in death, personal injury, or any indication of complaints of pain or discomfort, or that involved a violation of s. 316.061(1) or s. 316.193 (Fla. Stat. § 316.066).

Finally, avoid posting detailed accounts or fault statements online. Words written in a rush can be used later. Talk with an attorney before you share your version of events.

Who Might Be Responsible When an Amazon Contractor Truck Crashes

More than one party may share responsibility. That can include:

• The driver
• The company that employs or contracts the driver
• The company that owns or controls the truck

Whether any party is responsible depends on the facts.

Delivery arrangements can involve several companies. A claim may need to identify every party that controlled the driver, the truck or the route.

Under 49 U.S.C. § 14704(a)(2), a carrier or broker may be liable for damages caused by acts or omissions “in violation of this part,” which refers to the economic-regulation part of the federal transportation chapter. This applies when an act or omission of a carrier or broker providing transportation or service subject to jurisdiction under chapter 135 violates this part of the federal transportation law (49 U.S.C. § 14704). A “broker” arranges the trip.

So how courts apply the FAAAA’s safety exception to a negligent-hiring claim like Montgomery‘s depends on the facts of each case and the court’s analysis. The Court held that a state-law claim against a broker for negligently hiring an unsafe carrier falls within a federal safety exception (Montgomery opinion).

Florida also uses comparative fault. Fault can be shared between people. Under Florida law, in a negligence action to which this section applies, a party found more than 50 percent at fault for his or her own harm may not recover any damages, except in personal injury or wrongful death actions arising out of medical negligence under chapter 766 (Fla. Stat. § 768.81).

That is why every fact about the crash matters.

Crash Patterns Reported in South Florida and Beyond

News outlets have reported several crash types involving Amazon trucks. These include wrong-way collisions and rollovers.

These reports describe what was seen and said. They are not findings about any company.

In May 2022, WSVN reported that a pickup truck driver was killed. The driver collided with an Amazon semi-truck. The driver was going against traffic on the Palmetto Expressway in Miami Lakes (WSVN). That account describes the crash as reported. It is not a finding about fault.

Other Florida reports describe dash-cam video of a driver crashing into an Amazon tractor-trailer on Interstate 75 in Hillsborough County. Each report is a starting point for questions. It is not an answer.

Wrong-way driving, sudden lane changes, rollovers and fires can cause catastrophic injuries. Knowing which pattern happened helps you understand which records and witnesses may matter. This applies to your own case.

Catastrophic Injuries and Wrongful Death: What Families Face Next

Truck crashes can cause catastrophic injuries. These are injuries that can change a person’s life permanently. They include:

• Spinal cord injuries
• Paralysis
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Amputations
• Severe burns
• Serious back or neck injuries

Some crashes end in death. Each one changes family life for years.

The first months often bring rehabilitation, medical equipment, home changes and lost work. Keep organized records of bills, pay stubs and care needs.

Florida counts past and future lost income and medical expenses as economic damages. These are money losses you can prove with bills and pay records.

When a crash is fatal, Florida’s wrongful death law lets the family bring a claim. The party who would have been liable is still responsible for damages. This is true even though the injured person has died (Fla. Stat. § 768.19).

Each survivor may recover the value of lost support and services (Fla. Stat. § 768.21). This means the financial help and daily support the person would have given.

A surviving spouse may also recover for loss of companionship. Each parent of a deceased minor child may recover for mental pain and suffering.

Families grieving a loss can ask for help with insurance calls, funeral bills and benefit questions. A claim can be handled while the family grieves.

Florida Deadlines and Why Early Evidence Matters

Florida sets filing deadlines for injury and wrongful death claims. Florida law generally gives you two years to file a negligence claim, and deadlines apply, so contact our firm promptly (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(5)(a)).

Deadlines apply to every case. Timing matters.

Trucks create records that can disappear. Federal rules require motor carriers, or trucking companies, to keep driver vehicle inspection reports. They must also keep related certifications. These must be kept for three months from the date the written report was prepared (49 C.F.R. § 396.11).

Duty-status records are logs. They show what a driver was doing and when. Except for a private motor carrier of passengers (nonbusiness), they must record the city, town or village, with State abbreviation, for each change of duty status (49 C.F.R. § 395.8).

After certain crashes involving a commercial truck, such as one where someone died or where the driver gets a ticket and someone needed medical treatment away from the scene or a vehicle had to be towed, the employer must test its surviving driver for alcohol and drugs as soon as practicable (49 C.F.R. § 382.303). If an alcohol test is not given within two hours, the employer must keep a record of why. After eight hours, it must stop trying.

Early evidence helps show what happened. Save the crash report, your photos and your medical records.

How Our Attorneys Approach Amazon Truck Cases for Doral Residents

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based firm. It represents clients throughout Florida. That includes people in Doral, Miami and nearby communities. Our team helps injured people and families understand each step.

Our attorneys handle truck accidents, catastrophic injury claims, wrongful death cases and other personal injury matters of every severity. The firm focuses on these case types.

Igor Hernandez is the responsible attorney for this page. The firm’s attorneys are licensed in Florida and admitted to The Florida Bar.

Some matters, including mass tort cases, may be referred to or handled together with another law firm. Mass tort cases involve many people harmed by the same product or company. The firm explains this before any work begins.

Talk With a Doral Injury Attorney About Your Amazon Truck Crash

If an Amazon-linked truck struck your car on a Doral road, you do not have to face it alone. The same is true if your family now faces a serious injury or loss.

You do not have to sort out the company, the insurance and the deadlines by yourself. Amazon truck accidents in Doral often involve several companies. Each one needs careful review.

CHG offers a free, confidential first consultation with no obligation to continue. CHG charges no attorney’s fees and no case costs unless there is a recovery.

Bring the crash report number, photos, medical bills and any messages from insurers. These items help an attorney review the facts as they stand today.

Frequently Asked Questions