Injured UPS workers can seek workers’ compensation benefits.
Our Atlanta workplace injury attorneys can help.
“What can Brown do for you?”
This old UPS slogan was meant to advertise the company’s services to consumers, but UPS employees who get hurt on the job also frequently ask this question too, wondering what benefits are available to them through workers’ compensation as a part-time or seasonal employee, independent contractor or full-time worker.
If you’re a UPS employee and are injured on the job, you can expect workers’ compensation benefits to cover your medical expenses (which also covers mileage to/from appointments), prescription medications, and about 2/3rds of your lost wages.
Wage loss benefits are covered with either temporary total disability (TTD) benefits, temporary partial disability (TPD) benefits or permanent and total disability (PTD) benefits if you’re unable to return to work following your UPS-related injury. If your injury was severe enough that you lost functionality of a body part or lost a limb, you may be eligible for permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits.
Lastly, you may be eligible for vocational rehabilitation if you’re unable to return to your UPS career. Vocational rehab benefits cover educational-related expenses if you are seeking to switch careers following new training.
The question shouldn’t be “What can Brown do for you” — but rather: “What can our workers’ compensation experts do for you?”Whether you’re a local delivery driver, cross-country tractor trailer driver, package sorter, dockworker, technician, airline crew member or other employee for UPS, our Atlanta workers’ compensation attorneys can help ensure you receive maximum compensation for your work-related injury claim. With over 100 years of combined experience, we’ve helped thousands of injured workers in Evans, Grovetown, Martinez, and all across Georgia get the compensation they deserve.
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“Gerber and Elkins gave me excellent advice on my workman’s comp case. They knew when to tell me to be patient and gave me sound recommendations during negotiations. I was very satisfied with the outcome. I would recommend them without hesitation.”
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Common UPS accidents and injuries
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, UPS reports a relatively high rate of on-the-job non-lethal injuries and fatalities. In fact, 756 delivery truck drivers were killed while on the job in 2012, and thousands of delivery truck drivers were injured (including drivers for UPS, DHL and FedEx).
UPS employees, in particular, are at risk for a variety of injuries and health hazards. It’s common for employees to work extra long shifts during the holiday seasons, which can bring on fatigue and increase the likelihood of accidents and injuries.
Some of the most common causes of UPS injuries include:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Exposure to excessive noise levels
- Workers being hit or crushed under heavy loads
- Slips, trips and falls due to slick floor surfaces indoors and outdoors
- Exposure to dangerous chemicals that can cause explosions and chemical burns
- Working in dangerous weather conditions
- Exposure to exhaust fumes
- Falls from trailers, ladders and pallets while loading and unloading packages
UPS drivers face some of the toughest conditions imaginable, from sweltering hot summer days to icy wintery conditions. These drivers are often involved in minor crashes, and are at constant risk for injury due to icy walkways and roads.
These drivers face severe injury on a daily basis, including:
- Neck and spinal cord injuries due to whiplash
- Traumatic brain injuries and concussions
- Death
- Knee and hip injuries due to carrying loads up stairs
- Amputation injuries
- Herniated disks and strained lumbar due to repeated heavy lifting
- Shoulder injuries (rotator cuff tears) due to repeated lifting
- Broken and crushed bones
- Burns and deep cuts that may require stitches
[company name] attorneys answer top questions on back and neck injury compensation
UPS facts and statistics
The United Parcel Service’s global headquarters has been located near Atlanta, Georgia (Sandy Springs, in North Fulton County) since 1991. The company was founded by James Casey in Seattle, WA in 1907, and its original name was the American Messenger Company.
Today, UPS operates in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe. UPS is famous for its brown-colored fleet of vans, which numbers more than 88,000. The company and its workers are responsible for handling and delivering more than 14 million packages each day. UPS operates the world’s 11th-largest airline and employs more than 360,000 people globally.
In 2003, UPS employed more than 12,000 workers in Georgia. Of those, some 7,900 employees worked in package delivery operations. However, that number is significantly larger now.
The company opened a regional package sorting hub on the west side of Atlanta in 2018. This new hub is the second largest processing facility in the company’s U.S. network and the fourth largest package operation in its worldwide network. In 2018, UPS generated $72 billion in revenue.
Examples of UPS workplace accident settlements
Part of the reason why companies carry workers’ compensation insurance—in addition to the fact that it’s required in Georgia—is so that injured workers cannot file a lawsuit against the company. Sometimes, however, injured workers and their attorneys are able to pursue legal action against their employer.
In the case of UPS, injured UPS workers have successfully sued the company several times in workers’ compensation-related cases.
- In the fall of 2013, a UPS package handler fell while on the job and seriously injured his knee. Following an evaluation, it was also discovered he suffered trauma to his shoulders due to the strenuous and repetitive nature of his job. Upon filing a workers’ compensation claim, the worker’s claim was initially denied. The employee sought external legal representation and, after a year-long court fight, won a settlement against UPS for $135,000.
- An 18-year UPS veteran suffered a shoulder injury in 2005 while working as a package car driver. The employee was harassed by supervisors, told by several doctors to limit his package lifting to 20 pounds, and eventually let go. After, the ex-employee sued UPS for disability descrimination and retaliation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Though his case was initially thrown out, an Appeals court allowed a federal jury to review the case. The jury decided to award the ex-employee $2.63 million in damages.
Did you know that workers’ compensation rules vary depending on where you were hurt? For more information on workplace injuries and other frequently asked questions about Georgia workers’ compensation and disability benefits, visit our FAQs page.
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Our record of winning accident cases in Georgia speaks for itself:
Talk to a knowledgeable Georgia workers’ compensation attorney
If you were injured while on the job at UPS, you should learn about your rights by talking to an experienced attorney who can review your case, fight on your behalf and help you navigate the complex waters of workers’ compensation law.
At Gerber & Elkins Workers’ Compensation Attorneys, our skilled legal team has handled UPS workers’ compensation cases in the past and we are intimately familiar with how the company handles such claims. Don’t wait to learn more about your case. Your first consultation is free, and we don’t get paid until you do.
