Lawyers for Food Delivery Service Accidents in New Jersey
Trusted Personal Injury Lawyers Represent Food Delivery Service Accident Victims Across New Jersey
Food delivery service apps offer a valuable service. You no longer have to choose between cooking and going out—you can have a hot meal delivered to your door in less than an hour, and today’s options are far more diverse than pizza or Chinese. Uber Eats, DoorDash and GrubHub are only a few examples of the app-based food delivery service companies that put meal delivery just a few taps away from nearly everyone in the country. The restaurant benefits from added business, the customer gets a conveniently delivered meal and delivery drivers can earn extra income on their own schedule.
But what happens when the system is disrupted by a car accident? At Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold & Mangan, LLC, our trusted accident lawyers have been fighting to protect the rights of injured clients for over 35 years. Our team includes certified trial lawyers and top-ranked New Jersey “Super Lawyers” who are here to negotiate on your behalf and see your case through to trial if needed.
Web-based delivery services can create complex situations where it can be difficult to establish who is actually responsible for paying financial compensation when someone is hurt in an accident. Our experienced lawyers pride ourselves on helping clients navigate insurance complexities in cases involving food delivery service accidents across New Jersey. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your accident claim.
What Should You Do After a Food Delivery Service Accident in New Jersey?
Like ride-sharing accidents, New Jersey food delivery service accidents often involve complicated insurance issues where large commercial policies may be at stake. Because of this, it is especially important to know what to do to protect your rights after an accident. After a food delivery service accident, you should:
Call the police even if injuries or damage are minor, as the police record can be key to protecting your right to compensation later,
Take photos—it can be especially important to take photos confirming that the food delivery driver was carrying food at the time of delivery, as the company may deny responsibility if the driver was not currently out on a delivery,
Speak to witnesses and get their contact information,
Seek medical attention right away to make sure your injuries heal properly and protect your right to future compensation for any harm caused by the accident.
In accidents involving food delivery drivers, it is especially important to speak with a qualified accident lawyer soon after the accident. Most web-based food delivery services are only newly popular, so the rules that apply in getting compensation are still evolving. Our experienced injury lawyers are here to meet with you for free to discuss what happened in your case and talk about how we can fight to get fair compensation for your injuries.
Skilled Accident Lawyers Fight to Establish Liability in New Jersey Food Delivery Service Accident Cases
In traditional employment scenarios, the employer-company is responsible for injuries caused while the employee is at work. After all, it is the employer who stands to profit most from the employees’ efforts. Web-based food delivery services are different because the delivery driver is usually not anyone’s employee. Because of this, apps like DoorDash and UberEats purchase a $1 million insurance policy to protect people who are hurt in accidents with their food delivery drivers. However, the following complexities may apply:
If you are a food service delivery driver involved in an accident, the delivery company will most likely deny your own damage claims—and you may face issues with your personal car insurance company if they learn you were driving for commercial purposes,
If you are injured in an accident with a food service delivery driver who was on the way to pick up the food (rather than carrying the food), the company may object to paying your claim,
The insurance company may be much more likely to challenge the value of your claim because of the higher-value insurance policy involved.
The skilled injury lawyers at Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold & Mangan, LLC will take steps to ensure the driver’s GPS and food delivery app data are preserved after an accident. We will also investigate to ensure the food delivery service company did its due diligence in allowing the driver to make deliveries.
Schedule a Free Case Review with Our Trusted Injury Lawyers to Discuss Your New Jersey Food Service Delivery Accident Claim
At Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold & Mangan, LLC, our respected accident lawyers have successfully helped thousands of injured clients get the compensation they need after an accident. Food service delivery accident claims in New Jersey may be complicated, but our experienced lawyers are well-equipped to handle those complications.
All of our personal injury cases are handled on a contingency basis, so that you do not pay our attorneys’ fees unless we win compensation in your case. To schedule your free case review with an experienced New Jersey food service delivery accident lawyer, you can contact us 24 hours a day.
Frequently Asked Questions About Food Delivery Service Accident Claims in New Jersey
FAQ: Why are food delivery drivers not considered employees so that their employer is primarily responsible for accidents they cause while delivering food?
New Jersey courts use a multi-factored approach to determine who qualifies as an employee for liability purposes. In most cases involving food delivery drivers for app-based services, these factors weigh in favor of independent contractor status. The delivery driver usually delivers food orders for a number of different restaurants and uses a personal vehicle for the deliveries. Payment is based upon each food delivery. Importantly, the restaurant’s business is making and serving food—as opposed to the business of delivering items to customers in their homes. The app’s typical business is facilitating the orders, not making the actual deliveries.
FAQ: What are some of the more common causes of food delivery service accidents?
Food delivery service accidents are caused by the same issues that can cause any car accident. Traffic violations, fatigued driving and distracted driving all come into play. However, delivery drivers may spend much more time on the roads picking up and delivering orders. They may be highly motivated to get deliveries to customers quickly to earn better tips and increase the number of orders they can deliver per day. They’re also looking at their phones more often than most drivers to see if new orders have come in or to get directions to the food recipient’s location.
