Most car accidents happen between vehicles that are relatively the same size. This means that the frames line up, so cars tend to collide and bounce off of one another. Injuries can still be more severe for someone in a smaller or lighter vehicle, but these vehicles are still relatively similar.
This is not true in underride accidents, which involve small cars and very large vehicles, such as semi-trucks. With an underride accident, the smaller vehicle could become trapped, crushed or wedged under the taller vehicle.
For example, perhaps a driver is approaching an intersection with a two-way stop, knowing that they don’t have to stop. A semi-truck is waiting to turn left. The truck driver thinks that it’s a four-way stop, cuts off the oncoming vehicle, and that vehicle gets wedged under the trailer, between the tires.
Upper body injuries
The first thing that makes an underride accident so dangerous is that the injuries tend to be to the upper body. Someone could suffer chest, neck, throat or head injuries. These are more likely because the frames of the vehicles don’t line up, so the solid steel bottom edge of the trailer impacts the windshield of the smaller car.
Delays in treatment
Additionally, when an underride accident takes place, first responders may not be able to get people out of the passenger car. It is still trapped under the larger vehicle. This can delay medical treatment and may mean that emergency crews have to work frantically to try to save someone that they could have quickly transported to the hospital if they had been involved in another type of accident.
For these reasons, underride accidents carry a high risk of fatal injuries. Those who have lost loved ones need to know how to seek financial compensation from the responsible driver.
