Any collision with a large commercial truck can be devastating, but underride crashes are especially dangerous. These accidents happen when a smaller vehicle slides beneath the rear or side of a truck or trailer. In the worst cases, the truck can enter the smaller vehicle’s passenger compartment.
Underride crashes often cause severe or fatal injuries, leaving Houston drivers and their families facing extensive medical care, months away from work, and lasting changes to everyday life. When you’re dealing with these consequences, you can’t afford to trust the trucking company to “make things right.”
You need a team of experienced truck & 18-wheeler accident lawyers with the resources and experience to take on the largest trucking companies in the world and hold them fully accountable. With Billions won, our record-setting results demonstrate our ability to take on trucking giants and fight for the maximum compensation our clients deserve. We’re undefeated at trial, and we never back down until our clients receive the full financial resources they need to rebuild their lives and the best medical care available.
No matter how hard trucking companies fight to avoid responsibility, we fight harder to secure our clients’ futures.
What Is an Underride Truck Crash?
Commercial trucks and trailers sit much higher off the ground than passenger vehicles. When a car strikes a truck at certain angles, the car may travel beneath the larger vehicle rather than hit it at bumper level.
This changes how the car’s safety features respond to the crash. Crumple zones, airbags, and seat belts are designed to protect occupants in many types of collisions. However, they may offer less protection when the main point of impact is near the hood, windshield, or passenger compartment.
Underride crashes can happen at the rear or side of a truck. Both types can result in catastrophic injuries.
Why Are Underride Crashes So Dangerous?
One of the greatest dangers is passenger compartment intrusion. This happens when the truck or trailer enters the area where the driver or passengers are seated.
The results can be devastating. A person may suffer direct trauma to the head, neck, or upper body. The smaller vehicle may also become trapped or severely crushed beneath the truck.
What Injuries Can an Underride Truck Crash Cause?
The injuries from an underride collision can change a person’s life in seconds. Severe head and neck trauma are possible consequences when a truck intrudes into a passenger compartment.
Other serious injuries can include:
- Severe cuts and scarring
- Amputations
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Severe neck and back injuries
- Multiple broken bones
- Internal organ damage
- Crush injuries
Surviving the initial crash may be only the beginning of a long recovery. Someone with catastrophic injuries might need several surgeries, physical rehabilitation, home modifications, or help with basic daily activities.
The financial effects can be just as significant. Time away from work, ongoing medical bills, and a reduced ability to earn a living can place considerable strain on an injured person and their family.
What Causes Underride Truck Crashes?
There is no single cause of an underride accident. Some happen when a passenger vehicle strikes the back of a truck that has stopped or slowed. Others occur when a truck turns or crosses a roadway, and another vehicle crashes into the side of the trailer.
Factors that can play a role include:
- Unsafe turns or lane changes
- Sudden braking
- Poor truck or trailer visibility
- Missing or damaged safety equipment
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Driver fatigue
- Dangerous road or weather conditions
Sometimes, several factors contribute to the same accident. Understanding what happened may require looking beyond the damage visible at the crash scene.
What Evidence Can Matter After an Underride Crash?
A serious truck crash can involve evidence that is not available in an ordinary car accident. Commercial vehicles may contain electronic data showing information about the truck’s operation before the collision.
Maintenance and inspection records may also help show the condition of the truck and its safety equipment. Other useful evidence can include photographs, video footage, witness statements, police reports, medical records, and information about the driver’s hours on the road.
Preserving this evidence early can be important. Memories can fade, vehicles may be repaired, and other records can become harder to obtain as time passes.
Contact the Undefeated Houston Truck Accident Lawyers at Zehl & Associates for Help
A catastrophic underride crash can leave an injured person and their family dealing with far more than vehicle damage. Medical treatment, lost income, long-term disabilities, and uncertainty about the future can all become part of life after the collision.
Zehl & Associates has recovered Billions of dollars on behalf of clients. We have secured the largest truck accident settlement in Texas.
Reach out to our Undefeated Houston truck accident attorneys today for a free consultation.
We proudly serve Harris County, Midland County, and throughout the state of Texas. We are located in Houston and Midland and throughout the state of Texas:
Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers – Houston
2700 Post Oak Blvd #1000, Houston, TX 77056
(888) 603-3636
Open 24 hours
Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers – Midland
306 W Wall St Suite 701, Midland, TX 79701
(432) 220-0000
Open 24 hours