Any truck or bus accident has the potential to cause serious injury and death. However, there are some types of accidents that are even more dangerous than others. Today we are talking about truck underride accidents, which involve a car hitting a truck from behind and being crushed on the underside of the truck. Keep reading to learn more, and then contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 if you believe you have cause for a personal injury claim.
That Stats on These Accidents Might Surprise You
We find that people are often shocked to find out how common these accidents are. According to the US Department of Transportation, 23% of fatalities involving collisions between passenger vehicles and large trucks occurred when the passenger vehicle struck the back of the truck. All too often, this results in the car driving under the truck, which is nearly always a death sentence.
In fact, more than 300 people die every year in fatal underride accidents. This type of accident occurs when a smaller vehicle hits the side or rear of a truck and slides under the trailer.
Causes of Underride Accidents
In most accidents, that at-fault driver is the cause of an accident, but underride accidents are not quite as simple. They often occur due to poor weather conditions, damaged tail lights on the truck, inadequate signaling by one or more parties, sudden braking of the truck, or a lack of underride guards installed on the truck.
Rearguards Are Required by Law, But Side Guards Are Not
There should never be an underride accident because rearguards, which are designed to prevent smaller vehicles from being able to slip under the tractor-trailer, are required by law. However, if they are installed correctly or are poorly designed, the guards will not be effective. Likewise, sideguards are not required by law, and therefore vehicles can still be pulled under the side of a tractor-trailer.
Most of These Accidents Occur at Night
It is most common for an underride accident to occur at night when it is harder for everyone involved to see. There are two main ways they can occur. First, there are side underride collisions, which are most often going to happen when a truck driver makes a U-turn or turns onto a street. A rear underride collision occurs when a vehicle collides under the back of a truck.
If you have been injured in an accident with a tractor-trailer, and you believe that someone else’s negligence or carelessness caused or contributed to the accident, then we welcome you to contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation. We are standing by to determine the legal arguments of your case and to determine the best way forward.
