Underride Truck Accidents

Houston underride accident attorneys note that this afternoon on the North Freeway in northern Houston, a car crashed into the underside of an 18-wheeler and became lodged under the trailer. The underride wreck occurred around 1 p.m. and closed down traffic in the area until after 2 PM. Traffic was diverted onto the I-45 feeder road, as lanes remained closed for the crash investigation and cleanup. The cause of the underride accident hasn’t yet been determined, and authorities did not release the condition of the car’s driver.

As this I-45 car-truck underride crash illustrates, underride occurs when a smaller vehicle lodges fully or partially underneath another vehicle in a collision. Our Houston underride accident attorneys point out that underride frequently happens in incidents like this North Freeway wreck where a car collides with the rear of an 18-wheeler or when a car impacts the side of a tractor-trailer.

When a car runs into a truck, the high ground clearance of the truck trailer allows most cars to drive at least partway underneath where they can become stuck. The underside of the tractor-trailer might clear the hood of the car and then slam through the passenger compartment, severely injuring or killing the car’s occupants. The high risk and serious carnage of car-truck underride accidents has led to a U.S. government requirement that trucks possess rear impact guards. But tests and studies have shown that many of the available impact guards are not very effective in preventing a truck underride accident. Truck side impact guards remain a rarity, while side impact underride accidents between trucks and cars are not rare at all and often occur at night.

If you have been injured or lost a family member in an underride accident, then you understand how serious and costly these events can be for the affected family. Impact guards on the truck that collided with your car may have failed. Or the truck might have been operating without impact guards. Our Houston underride accident attorneys remind you that you could be eligible for a full financial recovery from the trucker or trucking company responsible for your injuries. You need the compensation to which your injuries and accident losses entitle you in order to pay the huge and ongoing expenses from the truck underride accident.

But obtaining the compensation you deserve after a truck underride accident is no easy matter. Trucking companies and their insurers fiercely defend high-dollar truck insurance policies and trucking company assets. You need a Texas Board Certified personal injury attorney with extensive experience in successfully representing injured truck accident victims to win your case.

Our Houston underride accident attorneys have the experience you need.