Passenger vehicles getting in accidents with trucks on the road can sometimes feel common nowadays, but unfortunately, those accidents aren’t always minor and can cause devastating consequences. An underride truck accident isn’t just any old accident; it often results in death for the driver and passengers of the car, or serious injuries that require a lifetime of treatment and care. It’s the worst-case scenario accident and it can be caused by several different factors.
Let’s take a look at the deadly and/or serious consequences of an underride truck accident.
What Is an Underride Truck Accident?
An underride truck accident is nothing short of a nightmare. It refers to an accident in which a passenger vehicle slides under the belly of the truck, thereby removing the top of the cabin of the vehicle. This can happen to any type of passenger vehicle regardless of size, so it includes cars, crossovers, SUVs, passenger trucks, and vans. More often than not, this kind of accident results in death. If not death, then most likely severe life-altering injuries.
What’s especially scary is that these types of accidents can occur anywhere, even on city streets, so drivers can never be too careful. The assumption is often made that both vehicles need to be traveling at high speeds for this kind of catastrophic incident to occur, but that’s just not true.
What Causes These Types of Accidents?
There is no single answer that acts as the reason for these accidents; it comes down to an error on the part of the truck driver or the driver of the passenger vehicle. Because it happens in the blink of an eye, any number of factors can contribute to it.
One mistake people often make, however, is to assume the passenger vehicle driver was at fault. They are the ones that slid under the truck, so the driver must not have been paying attention, right? Things aren’t always that cut and dry, and upon further investigation, it may have been the truck driver who put the cards in place and caused the fatal or serious accident.
This is exactly why the proper authorities will conduct an investigation into what did take place, looking closely at the placement of the vehicles, the conditions at the time of impact, and if any driving laws were broken. It may have been that the truck made an illegal stop, was driving where it shouldn’t be, made an unsafe lane change, or parked illegally, as just some examples.
What to Do Immediately Following an Underride Accident
It doesn’t matter if you’re a party involved in an underride accident or a witness to one, it’s important to call emergency help immediately. Because these accidents are so serious, prompt medical care can make a difference if a person survives or not. The top priority has to be medical care, and from there the police will be able to do their thing and reconstruct the accident.
If you did witness the accident, expect the police to take down your contact information and speak to you in detail about what you saw. They will be working to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Typically, if you’re the victim in an accident, it is advised you take photos if possible and do your best to document the accident in case it is needed later on. For victims in an underride truck accident, chances are your injuries will be far too extensive to worry about things like taking pictures and documenting events. Again, all focus needs to be on medical care.
What Happens If You’re a Victim and You Now Have Severe Injuries?
Perhaps you’re reading this because you are a victim of an underride truck accident, and while you survived the horrific crash, you are now dealing with severe and long-term injuries. Medical care for your injuries both immediately after and the follow-up treatment for the rest of your life can cost a small fortune. If your accident has left you unable to work, or not able to work in the same capacity you were previously working in, it places a massive financial burden on your shoulders.
Victims in an underride truck accident could be dealing with ongoing medical expenses for the following healthcare professionals:
- Physical therapy
- Medical devices
- Neurologist
- Orthopedists and/or orthopedic surgeon
- Surgeon
- Primary care doctor
- Therapist
Depending on the extent of your injuries, you may be dealing with paralysis and are unable to walk or use parts of your body. You may have a traumatic brain injury, and so much more. You may need mobility devices such as a wheelchair, which then begs the question of how you get in and out of your home, how you function at home, etc.
Coping with these injuries is stressful enough, never mind also having to worry about how you’ll pay for your care and life in general. This is why you may want to look into whether you have a potential case and whether you would be eligible to receive compensation from the truck driver. If they were at fault, you could have a very strong case.
Unfortunately, dealing with the insurance company of the truck driver can be extremely stressful. Remember, they don’t want to pay a settlement and if they feel there’s no choice but to pay, they want to settle with you privately – outside of court – and for the lowest amount possible. Insurance companies aren’t there to protect you; they aren’t even protecting the truck driver – they are there to make money and they will be ruthless about it. Victims of car accidents are often taken aback at just how cutthroat the compensation process can be.
Reach out to us Karns & Karns Truck Accident Attorneys to help you work through this nightmare and fight for the compensation you deserve. We have offices in California, Texas and Nevada. Give us a call or visit us in person, we are always happy to hear from you and talk to you about a potential case. Contact us and get the ball rolling on your case.
