An Amazon Flex driver ran into an unusual situation, literally, while on a last delivery run of the day.
That unusual situation was a deer, careening into the front of the driver’s car, walking away unhurt but leaving damage that the driver is now seeking to reconcile through the megacompany’s insurance.
The story comes from Redditor NoAddition6849, writing this week on the r/AmazonFlexDrivers forum.
“I wanted to share an unfortunate experience I had while delivering for Amazon Flex recently in Madison, Wis.,” the driver explained. “While on my last delivery stop during my scheduled block, a deer ran into my car. Thankfully, the deer was unharmed and ran off, but my car (2014 Mazda 3s Grand Touring I just bought) suffered damage to the front bumper and grille.”
The driver went on to explain they were working with Amazon Flex Escalations to file a property damage claim through their insurance policy, but because that driver only carries liability coverage, they’re responsible for repairs—unless the coverage Amazon Flex provides its drivers applies.
“Similar collisions can happen unexpectedly, especially in rural delivery areas,” that driver warned. “If you haven’t experienced something like this, it’s good to know what steps to take in case it happens.”
Amazon Flex’s stated policy
According to Amazon Flex, the driver should be covered.
“If you maintain personal auto insurance, you are protected under the Amazon Commercial Auto Insurance Policy while you’re actively driving and delivering,” its statement says. “The Amazon Commercial Auto Insurance Policy includes auto liability coverage of $1,000,000, uninsured motorist/under-insured motorist coverage, and contingent comprehensive and collision coverage (passengers are not covered).”
There is one caveat: “This policy is provided at no cost, in all states besides New York. If you live in New York, you may need additional commercial insurance to meet state law.”
However, the driver was in Wisconsin, so that doesn’t apply. And as other Redditors revealed, there’s a deductible requirement that might not leave a driver as cared for as they might want to be.
‘The catch’
At least one found occasion for humor in the situation.
“Did you get the deer’s insurance?” one quipped.
“No unfortunately I did not and regret it,” the driver responded.
“Amazon isn’t going to pay for anything,” one claimed. “You don’t have the proper coverage on your personal policy for them to pay for any repairs. The only option is to repair it yourself.”
An article from attorney firm Pacin Levine noted, “Amazon insures their Flex drivers for liability, contingent comprehensive/collision, and uninsured/underinsured motorists.
The liability coverage goes up to $1 million per incident and covers accidents that are ruled the Amazon driver’s fault. This includes damage to property and bodily injury for third parties. There is a $1,000 deductible for the contingent comprehensive/collision coverage, which covers $50,000 worth of damage to the delivery driver’s vehicle, even if they are at fault.”
However, as they point out. “The catch here is that the delivery driver must have a personal comprehensive/collision coverage policy. If they do not have such a policy, the Amazon policy will not cover them. Like the liability coverage, the coverage for uninsured/underinsured drivers for Amazon drivers is $1 million. This coverage only takes effect if the other party is at fault and doesn’t have adequate coverage.”
He’s not alone
“I had a similar situation where I had to replace the front bumper and grille myself,” another Redditor shared. “Nothing is cheap anymore when it to taking it to the body shop. My estimate from the insurance was something like $3500. I did it for something like $2000. That included buying the grille and bumper and right front fender to be painted.”
Deer Collision While Delivering for Amazon Flex – Seeking Advice & Sharing Awareness
byu/NoAddition6849 inAmazonFlexDrivers
“I’m sorry to hear that,” the driver said. “That is very high, I was thinking to repair it at the lowest cost and hopefully it won’t go beyond $500. I’m looking for a full time job at the moment and was doing Amazon Flex as a side gig. I’ll probably quit since this doesn’t make sense anymore to me.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Amazon via email and to the Redditor via Reddit direct message.
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