Last updated on December 5, 2024
Truck underride accidents are catastrophic and often fatal, resulting in the injury and death of countless Americans each year. With the number of semi-trucks on the road delivering goods throughout the Pacific Northwest, you would imagine that adequate protection would be required to avoid underride, but unfortunately, this is not yet the case.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a truck underride accident, you are probably going through a very tough time and the last thing you want to be dealing with is insurance and lawsuits. Trucking companies are well-known for having attorneys and insurance companies that will ferociously defend themselves and work to avoid payouts. At Pendergast Law, we have been fighting for our clients and making sure that they get the compensation they deserve for over 30 years, with millions of dollars recovered. Our Seattle truck accident lawyers take over the burden of recovering compensation for you and your loved ones, letting you focus on healing and putting your life back together.
What Is A Truck Underride Accident?
A truck underride accident is when a car collides with the trailer of a large truck and slides underneath. The top of a car is typically destroyed in a truck underride accident, which can cause severe injury or death to the driver and all passengers.
There are two types of truck underride accidents:
- Rear underride accident: Rear underride accidents occur when a car runs into the back of a truck and slides underneath. Most trucks have rear underride guards to prevent this, but they aren’t always correctly installed and sometimes are old and weak. Rear underride accidents can happen because of irresponsible truck driving (making sudden stops) or having trucks that are inadequately marked so drivers of cars can’t see them. Low visibility conditions are also a common cause of rear underride accidents.
- Side underride accident: Side underrides happen when a car runs into the side of a semi-truck or flatbed truck, sliding underneath and destroying the car. Side underride guards are not legally required, so this type of underride is more likely to happen. Side underride accidents are usually the result of irresponsible driving on the part of the truck driver (assuming that other drivers see them when that isn’t always the case). Occasionally, a car driver will be at fault for being distracted (texting and driving, etc.), but this is not often the case.
Both types of truck underride accidents are catastrophic, and because these accidents are often more complicated than “regular” car accidents, determining who is at fault can be tricky, that’s what determines who is going to compensate the victim. Having a qualified personal injury attorney by your side is the only way that you will receive the maximum compensation you are due, and avoid getting stuck in countless hours, days, and months of legal proceedings.
Common Injuries From Truck Underride Accidents
Truck underride accidents are often fatal, and typical injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord and neck injury
- Amputation
- Loss of bodily organs
- Crushing
- Disfigurement
- Broken or fractured bones
- Paralysis
Truck underride injuries require immediate medical attention and typically involve long-term and extensive medical care. Medical costs can be extreme, and many victims are unable to return to work for a considerable time – if ever.
What Is My Case Worth?
At Pendergast Law, we do a full evaluation of your accident, working with the police, medical practitioners, and other experts to determine the maximum compensation that you’re due to cover medical bills and everything else needed to put your life back together. This often includes compensation for:
- Immediate medical costs
- Future medical costs (long-term treatment, physical therapy, prosthetics, etc.)
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Alterations to home and vehicle to accommodate a loss of mobility or disfigurement
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
If a loved one has been killed in a truck underride accident, you may also be eligible for wrongful death compensation, including:
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Medical bills leading up to death
- Loss of consortium (the loss of family companionship caused by the death of a loved one)
- Loss of financial and physical support
- Emotional trauma to the members of your family
The Pendergast Law Difference
Pendergast Law, is one of the premier personal injury law firms in Seattle. We provide every client with a no-fee guarantee, which means that we don’t get paid unless we win your case. Our managing partner, J.P. Pendergast, is an award-winning personal injury attorney, named as one of the top 100 national trial lawyers for five straight years. Our mission is to take over the burden of recovering compensation so that our clients can focus on what’s important – healing and putting their lives back together. Call us today at 888-539-9211 for a free consultation.