Families seek payout for food delivery driver deaths

Food delivery riders are more likely to attend hospitals from 8pm to midnight than regular cyclists. (Flavio Brancaleone/AAP PHOTOS)

Food delivery rider Burak Dogan was working a Saturday evening dinner rush when he was hit by a truck.

He was still receiving orders when his body went under the vehicle.

Mr Dogan died in April 2020 and his relatives have not received any money from the gig company's insurer who claimed he was only covered if he was working within a 20-minute window of a delivery. 

The families of Mr Dogan and two other riders killed on the job are seeking compensation.

Transport Workers' Union national secretary Michael Kaine said the deaths weighed heavily on their loved ones.

"Their whole lives should have been ahead of them, but tragically were ripped away. The shock of these losses remain raw," he said.

"No sum of money can ease the pain of losing a loved one, but when a worker dies, their family should be compensated." 

The TWU will file claims to the Personal Injury Commission on behalf of Mr Dogan on Wednesday, while applications for fellow deliverers Akshay Deepak Doultani and Adil Abbas will be put to Uber and iCare first.

In Australia, 13 delivery riders are known to have died. 

But the union warned under-reporting may have obscured the true scale of workplace deaths.

A study by Macquarie University found food delivery riders were 13 times more likely to present to a hospital emergency department between 8pm and midnight than regular cyclists. 

The federal government has introduced a raft of reforms aimed at "closing loopholes" that allow businesses to exploit workers.

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has acknowledged the dangers faced by gig riders.

“The people who work in the gig economy because they're not technically employees have every single one of their rights fall off a cliff," he said on Tuesday during debate on the bill.

The bill will define casual employment, set minimum standards for independent contractors in the gig economy and ensure labour hire workers are not paid less than employees.

Mr Kaine called the reforms lifesaving and urged parliament to urgently pass the legislation to "set fair, safe and sustainable standards for all transport workers".

Three previous compensation cases have been settled on behalf of food delivery riders' families.

In 2022, Lihong Wei received an $830,000 payout after her husband Xiaojun Chen died while delivering for Hungry Panda in inner-city Sydney. 

The Personal Injury Commission found Mr Chen was an employee and not a contractor.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store