St. Louis Underride Truck Accident Attorneys

Get Help After a Truck Underride Collision

An underride collision is one of the most devastating forms of collisions. Victims of underride collisions often suffer catastrophic injuries or death. If you or a loved one has been involved in a trucking accident, please seek the counsel of an experienced St. Louis truck crash lawyer to examine your legal rights and options.

What is an Underride Collision?

An underride collision is when a passenger vehicle collides with the trailer of a truck. There are two major forms of underride truck crashes:

• Side Underride Collisions: This is when a car goes under the side of a trailer. The roof of a car is often sheared right off and the occupants are often killed or seriously injured. This type of tragic accident typically occurs when a truck driver is turning onto a street, is making a U-turn or is making an unsafe lane change.
• Rear Underride Collisions: This is when a passenger vehicle crashes into the back of a trailer. Depending upon the height of the trailer and the vehicle, this type of accident can be just as devastating as a side-underride crash. This type of collision is most common in low visibility situations involving slow moving trucks or trucks that are illegally parked on highways.

Federal Law

Large trucks and tractor trailers are required under federal law to have bumpers that are about 20 inches off the ground in order to avoid truck underride accidents. The Department of Transportation (DOT) safety standards and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 223 require rear-impact guards on full trailers and semi-trailers that weigh more than 10,000 pounds, manufactured on or after January 1998.

Causes of Underride Collisions

There are many potential causes of underride collisions. A few of the most common causes include:

• Truck Driver Negligence: Truck drivers are directly responsible for many of these accidents. Truckers that fail to look before changing lanes or that drive recklessly put everyone in danger.
• Insufficient Markings: The U.S. Department of Transportation regulates the number of markings that are required on all trailers. Reflective tape must be used on the side and back of all trailers. All trailers must have tape on 50 percent of the length and 100 percent of the back of the trailer. Badly worn tape or poorly used tape can lead to low visibility accidents.
• Reckless Driving: Many underride crashes occur when a truck makes an unsafe turn across traffic. Passenger vehicle drivers that cannot avoid a collision may end up partially underneath the trailer. Truck drivers have large blind spots and passenger vehicles would be well advised to stay out of them. These blind spots do not excuse truck drivers from turning into vehicles.

Injured Victims’ Right to Compensation in Missouri

Injured victims of truck underride collisions may pursue financial compensation for their losses by filing a personal injury claim. The family of someone killed in an underride collision may file a wrongful death claim to pursue compensation for their losses. Missouri truck underride collision lawyers at Page Law have a history of holding truck drivers and their employers civilly liable for serious accidents. We always offer free, comprehensive and confidential consultations to injured victims and their families. Call us at 1-800-CAR-CRASH.