Posted on 12/25/2020 6:01:00 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
An 83-year-old Clackamas County woman suffered significant injuries as a result of a common practice by delivery drivers -- leaving a package on a porch without knocking on the home’s door or ringing the bell, a lawsuit claims.
Christa Hoven has filed a personal-injury complaint against Amazon, claiming the online retail giant is responsible for her tripping over a box.
After a brief March 14 visit with her son at his Happy Valley house, Hoven stepped out of the front door and tripped on a “shoebox-sized package that had been left just in front of (and below) the doorway,” the suit alleges.
Security-camera footage shows that during Hoven’s time in the house, a worker wearing an Amazon vest placed the package in front of the door and left without making any effort to notify the home’s occupants of the delivery, according to the complaint.
The suit continues:
“Of all the potential locations on the porch to leave the package, this location was foreseeably the one that would be hardest to see by someone exiting the house.”
After tripping over the box, Hoven fell and hit her head, the lawsuit states. She suffered a concussion, leading to “concentration and memory problems” and “constant head pain.” She also injured an elbow and a hand and now suffers from increased fear, according to the complaint.
The suit claims that Hoven’s injuries could have been avoided if the delivery person had placed the package in a “conspicuous location” on the porch or made an effort to notify the household of the delivery. Hoven is seeking damages of up to $75,000 for pain and suffering.
(Excerpt) Read more at oregonlive.com ...
Very interesting. I’ve only fallen once in the last two years and this was when I discovered that my wife had moved a large plastic frog to a place with poor visibility. Can I sue?
I have worked for both Amazon Flex and and ISP contractor for Amazon. Amazon forms a contract with a delivery company to deliver local packages. In training every driver is told to not put the package in plain sight on the porch and to knock or ring the bell. Of course there is a way to put delivery instructions when purchasing the product. I don’t know why but most common delivery instruction is a person’s four digit pin number.
If the package was placed “on the porch” the driver is in the wrong. The package should be placed like in a corner or off to one side of the door. The other thing isd there is enormous pressure on these companies to provide a certain level of delivery. I have heard, but could not verify, that the ISP get rewwards but I do know that if the ISP does get a bonus for meeting a certain level of deliveries it is never passed onto the drivers unlike FEDEX which expects bonuses to be passed on.
All too often a driver, who is rushed (not feeling is literally rushed), will put the package right on the front of the porch and walk/run back to their truck. I always put it behind furniture cushions etc then took a picture. I was told the picture gets sent to the customer but as a delivery recipient, I have never seen a picture of my package on my porch. But that too is common practice to take a picture of the package on the porch with some identifying feature of the porch.
So if this woman is suing, they will have a picture of where the package was left. And it should be based on this picture if the driver was right or wrong.
It’s Oregon.
How else are the people going to make money — except by filing a personal injury lawsuit?
Drivers are still supposed to ring the doorbell or knock. However it does take time to do so and when the driver has a 260 package route, that time adds up. (An average route should be 15 to 20 packages per hour and 8 hours would be 120 to 160 packages in total. 260 package routes are not uncommon even during non-peak times. Peak times run from the beginning of November through mid to late January).
Amazon had nothing to do with it, but attorneys know they won’t get a cent from the delivery guy. Amazon’s where the money is, and the snakes go for the big money.
You forget that you order stuff?
Jeez, the angry old folks of FR are out again.
I get notifications on my mobile phone. Sometimes with a picture of the package on the front steps. Amazon has a system where they input the delivery into their system as it takes place from the driver scanning the label.
Can’t remember if I had to enable this or it is default...or ??
They are liable and will settle out of court (if she takes it).
We need loser pays.
No. This “doorstep delivery” must cease. It’s idiotic and it alone is the reason for porch pirate thefts (opportunity borne of laziness and priority of schedule over a valid delivery).
And before anyone goes and tries to qualify the validity of delivering goods to an unsecure doorstep, cite a SINGLE company which does the same to ANY business (leaving the packages on the doorstep or loading dock).
Go ahead: Make my day.
Convenience or security; they are diametrically opposed if it’s inconvenient to either be home for a delivery or to NOT leave a package on an unsecure doorstep without even bothering to ring the damned doorbell when someone is home (SOP).
Package lockers should be a requirement for home delivery in the absence of signed receipt, with push button codes input at ordering time and on the package label (codes which can be changed at whim by the owner).
They leaned a package against my garage door. It was dark and I didn’t see it, and only noticed it when the garage door wouldn’t close because the package fell onto the door path. I suppose I could have driven over it.
But, no harm, no foul.
No. That’s a problem brought on by dickhead delivery men. I’ve had that, both cars in the drive, fedex (I swear they employ the biggest dickheads) puts a stack of packages in front of the door. So I have to go out the back door, unlock the gate, go all the way around the house, then get the packages out of the way, so I can open the door, to get them in. Or force the door open knocking things down, but we all know the most fragile stuff will be at the top of the stack. It’s not the 83 year old woman’s fault.
I don't care how leftist or rich Bezos is. He built a great, convenient service. And everyone ignores how much money Amazon kept losing in the 90s and 2000s.
What small businesses need to do is to form a nationwide alliance and create their own online marketplace. They can beat Amazon if they unite together and compete within their own network.
The Amazon person went on personal property and constructed a trip hazard.
The onus is on Amazon, not the elderly home owner minding her own business.
I would like to visit in Oregon and Washington on a Northwest trip similar to Lewis and Clark of what they saw. However like many things the Left touches,they ruin. I hope I get to do that before my wife and I pass.
I'm in Oregon. Most Amazon deliveries are done by Amazon delivery vans.
Amazon certainly had something to do with it if the driver was their employee.
Or just sell on their own websites. Shopify is growing like crazy providing exactly that service to small businesses.
If you want to sue your wife, sure. Homeowners insurance won’t cover it, though.
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