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Essex County Food Delivery Service Accident Lawyer

Experienced Personal Injury Lawyers Represent Victims of Food Delivery Service Accidents in Montclair, NJ

Food delivery services such as GrubHub, DoorDash, and UberEats have massively grown in popularity over the past few years. These services allow restaurants that previously did not have a delivery option to allow their customers to easily place delivery or takeout orders online or through a mobile application. Food delivery services rely on a network of drivers who travel to different restaurants to pick up delivery orders and take them to the customer’s delivery address.

Of course, food delivery service drivers are just as much at risk for an accident as other motorists on the road. The novelty of these food delivery services means that an accident involving these services raises many questions about who is responsible to provide compensation to those injured and damaged by the accident.

When you are the innocent victim of a food delivery service accident in Montclair or elsewhere throughout Essex County, NJ, turn to the attorneys of Birkhold & Maider for knowledgeable, experienced legal representation to guide you through the difficult process of securing financial compensation for your injuries and damages. Contact us today for a free case review to discuss your claim with one of our food delivery service accident lawyers.

Steps to Take Following a Food Delivery Service Accident

Holding parties accountable for your injuries and damages following a food delivery service accident can often prove to be a complicated matter. But you can protect your legal rights and options and greatly improve your chances of securing compensation for your injuries and damages following an accident that wasn’t your fault by following these steps:

Call 911 if you have suffered injury; if you don’t feel like you were seriously hurt, you should still contact the local police department to have an officer come to the scene to prepare a police accident report. These reports are often critical evidence in accident claims, and many insurance companies will deny claims for compensation outright if no police accident report exists.
Get the name, contact information, and insurance information from the foodservice delivery driver, along with the name of the service the driver was driving for at the time of the accident. Be sure to also get contact and insurance information for any other drivers involved in the accident.
Document the accident scene by taking photos or video (if safe to do so) of important details such as damage to the vehicles involved in the accident, food being carried in the delivery driver’s car (showing he or she was completing a delivery at the time of the accident), the traffic controls at the scene, and the weather, lighting, traffic, and road conditions at the time of the accident; also take photos of any visible injuries you suffered in the accident.
Speak with any eyewitnesses and take down their contact information in case you later need them to provide a statement.
Schedule a physical exam with a doctor as soon as possible following your accident, even if you don’t feel like you were seriously hurt. You may not feel pain or other symptoms of injury for days or even weeks following an accident, but a doctor may be able to diagnose injuries in an exam. Promptly identifying injuries after an accident not only allows you to get treated more quickly but also strengthens your case to argue that those injuries were caused by your accident and not something else.

Finally, it is critical that you speak with a food delivery service accident attorney from Birkhold & Maider. Even though food delivery services have been around for several years now, there is still a great deal of confusion and difficulty around who should bear legal liability for injuries and damages from an accident caused by a food delivery service driver. Our lawyers are ready to talk with you about your case and discuss how we might be able to secure the financial compensation you need and deserve.

Dedicated Food Delivery Service Accident Lawyers Fight to Hold Liable Parties Accountable to Provide Compensation

While a traditional delivery driver employed by a restaurant would mean that the restaurant could be held liable for an accident caused by the driver, food delivery services do not operate on the traditional employer-employee model. Although many online- and app-based delivery services purchase insurance policies to protect people who are injured and damaged by drivers making deliveries for the platform, injured accident victims can face difficulties in getting compensation from food delivery services if the driver was on the way to pick up a food order (but didn’t have food in the car), or when the insurance companies contest the amount of damages you are claiming compensation for.

Let the attorneys of Birkhold & Maider get to work in your case by thoroughly investigating the facts and circumstances to recover the evidence we need to prove the liability of the food delivery service and driver and to establish the full extent of your compensable damages.

Contact Birkhold & Maider Today to Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Knowledgeable Food Delivery Service Accident Attorney to Discuss Your Case

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident involving a food delivery service, you deserve to seek full compensation for your injuries and damages. Although holding parties accountable in food delivery service accidents can prove highly complex, our legal team has the extensive legal knowledge and experience needed to give you the best chance at securing the financial recovery you need and deserve. Schedule a free, no-obligation initial consultation with an Essex County food delivery service accident lawyer from Birkhold & Maider today to speak with us about your case and to learn more about your legal rights and options.

Frequently Asked Questions about Food Delivery Service Accident Claims in New Jersey

FAQ: Can the food delivery service company be held liable for an accident caused by a delivery driver?

Unfortunately, most delivery drivers who work for food delivery service companies are classified by the companies as independent contractors. This means that a delivery driver making deliveries for an app-based food delivery service is not employed by either the food delivery service or the restaurant whose food is being delivered; instead, the driver works for himself or herself, often making deliveries for multiple restaurants and food delivery services. Under certain circumstances, it may be possible to hold a food delivery service for an accident caused by a driver, such as if the service allowed the driver onto its platform knowing he or she posed a substantial risk of causing an accident (such as if the driver had a poor driving record).

FAQ: How are food delivery service accidents caused?

Food delivery service accidents are often caused by many of the same factors that trigger other kinds of motor vehicle accidents, including speeding, careless or reckless driving, fatigued driving, and distracted driving. However, these risk factors may be elevated for food delivery service drivers, who may drive in a more careless or reckless manner to complete more deliveries and increase their income, who often drive late into the night, and who may be distracted by their phones managing deliveries and following turn-by-turn directions.

Couldn't have worked with a better team. Bob & Jess were super helpful and made the process easier to get through. I highly recommend their services!

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