Why You Need a Specialized Lawyer for a Deadly Underride Truck Crash
An underride crash is one of the horrific accidents that can happen on a highway. It occurs when a smaller passenger vehicle crashes into the side or rear of a commercial semi-truck and slides entirely underneath the trailer.
Because the bottom of a truck trailer aligns perfectly with the windshield of a standard car, the roof of the passenger vehicle is often completely sheared off. Surviving an underride truck crash usually means facing traumatic brain injuries or permanent paralysis, which is why a specialized legal investigation is mandatory.
Federal law requires large trucks to have "Rear Impact Guards" (the steel bars hanging below the back of the trailer). However, these guards are often poorly maintained, heavily rusted, or structurally inadequate. When they fail upon impact, the trucking company can be held liable.
How Do These Crashes Happen?
Underride accidents are rarely the fault of the smaller vehicle. They usually stem from extreme negligence by the commercial driver:
- Illegal U-Turns: When a 70-foot long truck attempts to make an illegal U-turn or backs across a dark highway, the trailer blocks all lanes of traffic. Approaching cars, unable to see the side of the unlit trailer, drive directly underneath it.
- Missing Reflective Tape: Federal regulations mandate red and white retroreflective tape along the bottom edges of the trailer. If this tape is missing or covered in dirt, drivers cannot see the trailer at night until it is too late.
- Sudden Highway Stops: If a truck driver slams on their brakes without warning, or fails to place warning triangles on the road after breaking down, the vehicle behind them may crash and wedge under the rear.
Why You Need an Accident Reconstructionist
In underride cases, the trucking company will almost always try to blame you for "following too closely" or speeding. To win millions in catastrophic injury compensation, your lawyer will hire engineering experts to analyze the impact angles, crush depth, and metallurgical failure of the truck's safety guards.