If you’ve ever had the misfortune of seeing the aftermath of a tractor-trailer crash, then you likely understand that there’s no such thing as a minor accident. It doesn’t matter whether the semitruck crashes into the rear of an automobile, the driver of the car crashes into the rear of the truck or some other course of action takes place. These crashes are often catastrophic. Underride collisions are perhaps one of the worst types of truck accidents that can happen.
There are two types of underride accidents: side and rear ones. These crashes generally involve the driver of a passenger car riding under a truck. If such an incident happens along with the void between a trailer’s front and rear axles, then it’s likely to be more catastrophic than if it occurs nearest the wheels.
A side underride crash along the void between the axles is most apt to result in the roof of the vehicle being sheared off. This type of crash often results in the car’s occupants dying. The one saving grace is if a motorist strikes the truck from the side nearest its axles. If this happens, then it’s likely that the wheels will stop the vehicle from traveling underneath the trailer. This may give the car’s occupants a fighting chance of surviving the crash.
Rear underride incidents are quite common and truckers are often to blame for them. These types of collisions are most apt to happen when a truck has pulled off onto the side of the road. It can be hard for a motorist to see a tractor-trailer if there aren’t reflectors or the taillights aren’t illuminated. Truckers who quickly pull in front of drivers may also cause these crashes, especially when they give motorists too little distance to stop to avoid colliding with them.
Many motorists who are involved in ride-under crashes die in them. Those who are lucky enough to survive such a collision are often left with life-altering injuries. An attorney can help you recover compensation for your loved one’s wrongful death or enough to cover the lifetime of care that you’re sure to need if you survived such a crash here in Austin or anywhere else in Texas.
