Underride accidents can have potentially devastating consequences. They often lead to fatal injuries. In many cases, these injuries involve the head, neck or chest.
This is because of the nature of the accident itself. An underride accident involves two vehicles of vastly different sizes. The smaller vehicle strikes the larger one and becomes trapped underneath it. Since the impact point is so high, injuries tend to affect the upper part of the driver’s body, making them more likely to be fatal.
How could an underride accident occur?
This is always an issue when vehicles have major size differences, but one example is when a semi-truck turns in front of another vehicle.
For example, say that a truck driver is waiting to turn left and needs to yield the right of way to a convertible. But the driver is distracted and turns when there isn’t enough space. The driver of the convertible can’t stop in time, and the smaller vehicle hits the semi-truck’s trailer in the middle of the turn.
This could still be a serious accident if both vehicles were the same size, but because of the size difference, the convertible becomes wedged underneath the trailer. This leads to severe injuries and limits the emergency response effort because crews need to remove the car to render proper medical aid to the occupants. For both of these reasons, the injuries are more significant and more likely to lead to a fatality.
Do you deserve compensation?
If you’ve suffered serious injuries or lost a loved one in an underride accident, you certainly may deserve compensation for medical bills, lost wages, funeral costs and more. Take the time to carefully look into all of your legal options at this time.
