What Is an Underride Truck Accident?

The roads are filled with all sorts of vehicles – from the very small to the very large. Semi-trucks and 18-wheelers are undeniably common and understandably intimidating. A crash with one of those, and you’re possibly looking at terrible injuries and huge hospital bills. One of the most dangerous types of crashes that can occur with these huge vehicles is an underride. An underride accident is when a smaller vehicle ends up sliding underneath a larger vehicle during a collision.

Truck accidents have a much higher potential for catastrophic injury than typical passenger vehicle collisions. Semi-trucks are significantly bigger in size, and therefore heavier than other vehicles. As a result, they can crush or even total smaller vehicles in a crash, seriously injuring passengers, or worse. Despite federal, state, and local trucking safety laws, trucking companies and drivers are often the cause of these tragic accidents

Per Crash Forensics, there are two main types of underride truck accidents: side and rear.

• Side underride – A side underride collision occurs when a car slides under the side of a larger vehicle, like a tractor-trailer.
• Rear underride – A rear underride collision is when a car runs under the rear of that larger vehicle.

What are the causes of underride accidents?

The causes for these underride crashes are many, but most underride accidents are the result of poor visibility (for the passenger vehicle) or missing side or underride guards on the truck. As Crash Forensics explains:

A side underride collision usually happens at night or during low sun-angle conditions. The collision usually occurs when a truck driver either is attempting to cross or turn onto a street or highway, is attempting a U-turn, or is trying to back across traffic. Although truck drivers commonly assume that on-coming drivers can see them crossing the road, these on-coming drivers often do not see a truck crossing their path until [it’s] too late.

Underride accidents can also be caused by negligent or reckless driving. Some common causes include tailgating, speeding, and illegal or risky maneuvers from the truck driver, such as sudden stops, ignoring traffic signage and signals, and illegal turns.

What injuries result from underride crashes?

Underride crashes are no doubt the most dangerous type of crash. A researcher at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety states that “underride occurs in 80-90% of tractor-trailer rear and side crashes with serious/fatal injuries.” These injuries include:

• Brain injuries
• Fractured and broken bones
• Spinal injuries
• Internal injuries
• Burn injuries
• Wrongful death
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Loss of limb

Not only can you suffer from physical injuries from these accidents, but mental and emotional injuries as well. If you’re fortunate enough to survive an underride crash, you will still have to pay for countless bills from your hospital, and then there’s the price of the psychological trauma. If that happens then it’s wise to turn to an experienced law firm who knows how to help.

The federal government is taking steps to prevent underride accidents

There has been a lot of discussion about underride guards on semi-trucks since 2017, along with several attempts to pass the Stop Underrides Act in Congress. Underride guards, in theory, would prevent most cars from sliding under the trucks, and preventing terrible accidents from occurring. Attempts to pass the Stop Underrides Act have failed because trucking companies do not believe there have been enough studies done on the effectiveness of a guard on the side of trucks, and that they would not be worth the price it would take to install them. However, with the recent infrastructure bill that passed in late 2021, regulations for the trucking industry are beginning to change.

Along with $1 trillion in spending, these new regulations require manufacturers to equip trucks and trailers with rear guards strong enough to prevent a car going 35 mph from sliding underneath. They also give the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration one year to complete research on measures to prevent cars from going under the sides of trucks and trailers and, “if warranted, develop performance standards for side underride guards.”

Large trucks are nothing to overlook when driving on the highway. A sudden stop or a wrong turn could land you beneath one of these massive vehicles, and that could lead you to become severely injured, or even end your life. If you or a loved one has been involved in an underride crash with a truck, call the Las Vegas accident attorneys at Claggett & Sykes for experienced representation. Schedule an appointment today at 702-333-7777 or use our contact form. We maintain offices in Las Vegas and Reno.