‘That’s a red flag’: FedEx driver hits man’s new 4Runner, causing $5.5K worth of damage. Then FedEx asks for a favor
A FedEx driver side-swiped a man's new 4Runner, causing at least $5,500 worth of damage. But thanks to a special request from the driver's manager, the car's repair status is now in limbo.
The tale comes from the mother of the 4Runner driver, TikToker @nurseshark007. She was previously featured in the Daily Dot for trying to get her late father's American Airlines miles to transfer to her mother while she was still alive and able to use them. In this video, posted Saturday and getting over 3 million views, she documents the damage and lays out the scenario.
"The driver does pull over and gives my son the insurance information," she notes. "We review the dash cam [footage]; it shows that the FedEx driver is indeed at fault."
However, when the FedEx driver calls his manager, he asks for a favor.
"The manager speaks to my son and says, 'Hey, please don't use the insurance information. We want to pay for this out of pocket,'" the TikToker recalls.
So, honoring that, she and her son go and get a repair estimate for $5,500. But the shop notes, "Make sure that they pay in full prior to starting, because you don't want there to be a hold on the car once it's completed. And the other thing they need to know is that once we take the bumper off, there could be additional damage that's not included in the estimate, and they also need to sign that they're responsible for that as well, and any other charges that you know might have surfaced during the repair."
When they relayed that to the manager, he went silent. The TikToker says she is now giving him an ultimatum of Thursday to agree; otherwise, she says she plans to use the insurance info they're holding on to.
More about FedEx liability
According to the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida-based law firm Anidjar & Levine, "FedEx vehicles receive the same treatment as other trucks. This means the operators of these vehicles must follow not only company rules but also strict guidelines from the federal and state government. Additionally, FedEx must ensure all its vehicles adhere to specific safety standards."
The article goes on to say, "If you get into an accident with a FedEx vehicle, different parties could be responsible for the accident. You may think you have an easy open-and-shut case if you are certain a FedEx vehicle caused your accident. However, these cases can be challenging because of the size of FedEx as a company and the insurance company that will be fighting on their behalf."
It also noted that culpability may depend on how long a driver was on the road on FedEx's behalf at the time of the accident.
"According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), it is not the responsibility of each individual driver to keep a logbook. However, FedEx must keep accurate logs of the number of hours its drivers worked and the amount of mileage they drove," it says. "If these logs are inaccurate or FedEx is making its workers work longer than the federal hours-of-service regulations allow, the company could be responsible."
Commenters weigh in
Some commenters, as is their way, offered advice.
"FedEx has a 5 million dollar policy," one asserted without proof. "Use the insurance."
"Red flag. File the insurance claim," suggested another.
"That’s a red flag," echoed another. "Always use their insurance."
Another offered, "Girl I would have called the insurance as soon as they gave me the number."
@nurseshark007 #fedex #fedexdriver #cars #crash #fyp #iamnurseshark007 ♬ original sound - ????????????Nurseshark007????????????
One went further in agreeing, generalizing, "Never trust any big corporation."
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok direct message and to FedEx via email.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post ‘That’s a red flag’: FedEx driver hits man’s new 4Runner, causing $5.5K worth of damage. Then FedEx asks for a favor appeared first on The Daily Dot.