Memphis Underride Accident Lawyers

Legal Help After Catastrophic Truck Accidents

Were you caught under a commercial truck when the truck driver didn’t notice your vehicle? Underride accidents like these are usually devastating, and the resulting personal injury claims often have significant values when all damages are calculated. To pursue your claim with confidence, work with Dunk Law Firm and our Memphis underride accident attorneys. We know the difficulties and complications that often come up in such cases and what to do to mitigate them as much as possible.

Call (901) 231-4779 or contact us online to get legal help today.

What is an Underride Crash?

An underride accident or crash involves a smaller vehicle going underneath the trailer of a semi-truck, or, as it is more accurate in many crashes, the trailer goes over the smaller vehicle. Because the space under a trailer is barely big enough for a vehicle in the first place, cars that do get pressed underneath the trailer will usually become immediately trapped. As the truck driver continues driving, they can unknowingly drag the smaller car underneath their trailer for miles, possibly causing extensive vehicle damage, catastrophic injuries, or death.

Some of the most common underride accident injuries include:

• Broken bones
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Spinal cord injuries or paralysis
• Permanent disfigurement

Who is Liable for an Underride Accident?

Liability is hotly contested in underride accident cases. Truck drivers never want to admit fault because it could mean the end of their careers because such a devastating crash is a clear example of their lack of safety behind the wheel. Even though the truck driver and trucking company will likely deny liability, that does not mean they are being truthful or accurate.

Underride accidents can often be caused by:

• Truck driver’s failure to check mirrors when turning, merging, or changing lanes.
• Missing underride guardrails along the sides and back of the trailer.
• Trucks backing up without giving vehicles behind any warning.
• Trucks swerving while a car is in one of its side blind spots.

Keep in mind that you should do your best to stay out of a truck’s blind spots. However, staying in a blind spot while trying to pass or due to busy traffic conditions does not make you automatically liable for an underride accident. The truck driver still owes other drivers a duty of care to check mirrors and blind spots while exercising a high degree of caution whenever they want to turn, merge, or change lanes. Failing to do so can put most or all of the liability on the truck driver, even if the victim in the underride accident was lingering in a blind spot.

How Can Underride Accidents Be Prevented?

Underride accidents often end tragically. However, there are steps that can be taken on the part of motorists and trucking companies to prevent underride accidents:

• Attaching guardrails to all semi trucks; these guardrails hang below the tractor trailer and block the open space on the sides and back of the trailer, preventing cars from driving under it
• Equipping trucks with reflectors; underride accidents are very common at night because it can be harder to see the sides and back of a truck, by attaching reflectors to these areas, it increases the visibility for other motorists
• Maintaining a safe following distance; when other motorists maintain a safe following distance around semi trucks, this allows more time for them to stop if the truck in front of them stops suddenly

Call the Team That’s Recovered Millions of Dollars

Across our collective years of practice experience, our underride accident attorneys in Memphis have successfully recovered millions of dollars for our clients. We can negotiate settlements that end a case sooner than later, sparing you the frustration of a prolonged lawsuit. Although, if the defendant doesn’t want to cooperate and refuses to agree to a fair settlement, then you can bet that we will be more than prepared to see them in court.

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