Package delivery has come a long way from the days of traditional mail service. Today, we expect packages of all types to arrive on our doorstep with lightning speed. To accommodate these demands, there are numerous companies that offer fast and convenient delivery of every imaginable item – catering to our fast-paced lives. 

However, the convenience of these services has given rise to a growing need for dedicated workers willing to spend their days ensuring timely deliveries. While this job may appear straightforward, it is fraught with hazards that not only jeopardize a worker’s career but can also have serious financial implications for hardworking individuals in the bustling city of New York.

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Hazards Faced Daily While Delivering Packages

  1. Heavy Lifting: Packages aren’t always lightweight, and most delivery workers are required to perform their duties solo. This means they have to lift every item they deliver. A single misstep while lifting a heavy package can lead to injuries, affecting the spine, knees, ankles, or muscles.
  2. Exposure to the Elements: Some delivery trucks, including those of well-known companies like UPS, lack heating or cooling systems. This exposes workers to extreme temperatures, with scorching heat in the summer and bone-chilling cold in the winter. Such conditions can result in dehydration, burns, exhaustion, and frostbite.
  3. Auto Accidents: While many companies reward their drivers for safe driving practices, accidents caused by other drivers on the road can still occur. Even minor accidents can lead to severe injuries such as brain trauma, spinal damage, broken bones, and lacerations.
  4. Falling Objects: To optimize space, packages are often stacked on top of one another. If the stack is unstable, it can collapse onto a worker, causing injuries like concussions, broken bones, or crush injuries.
  5. Violence: Valuable items are frequently shipped, and even if they are insured against loss or theft, workers involved in loading and unloading trucks may face threats from individuals intent on stealing these items.
  6. Poorly Maintained Property: Workers must navigate sidewalks, lawns, steps, and other surfaces throughout their day to make deliveries. Hazards such as ice, snow, broken stairs, loose handrails, potholes, and more can cause slips and falls, leading to injuries.

Workers’ Comp Is Often Key to Financial Safety

In the event of an injury, workers should be able to file a workers’ compensation claim, which is designed to cover their medical bills and, in some cases, a portion of lost wages. Unfortunately, many workers encounter denials, often for seemingly trivial reasons like errors on the claim form. While these denials can be appealed, the appeals process is often long and complicated.

The Disability Guys, with decades of experience, have been supporting hardworking New Yorkers in their pursuit of justice since 1933! Our legal team combines their expertise, commitment to the law, and dedication to helping those in need to advocate for our clients’ rights.

In addition to assisting clients with navigating the workers’ compensation system, our firm also helps identify other avenues of compensation. Depending on the circumstances, clients may be eligible for compensation through Social Security Disability claims or personal injury lawsuits. These claims can run parallel to workers’ compensation claims, potentially providing injured workers with additional compensation for lost earnings, physical pain and suffering, and even emotional trauma.

In the face of the hazards inherent in the package delivery industry, it is crucial to prioritize the safety and well-being of workers who tirelessly ensure our packages reach our doorsteps, even in the most challenging conditions.

If you’re looking for an Unexpected Legal Experience – one that is positive in every way – look no further. The Disability Guys have made it our mission to change the often negative stereotype of lawyers. Check out our Unexpected Legal Experience Manifesto.