Your Car Can Slide Underneath a Tractor-Trailer in a Crash. Learn About Three Types of Truck Underride Crashes

An underride accident happens when a car or other passenger vehicle strikes a truck and proceeds to slide underneath, crumpling the front end, shattering the windshield, and collapsing the roof. The occupants inside are tossed around in the vehicle and often suffer catastrophic—even fatal—injuries. While we often hear about the most preventable of the underride accidents, the rear underride crash, smaller vehicles can also slide under the front or side of a truck. The following outlines how underride accidents can occur:

• Rear underride accidents occur when a car or SUV crashes into the back of a tractor-trailer or other large truck. An accident like this might happen as a driver is attempting to merge onto I-90 in Rockford—looking over his shoulder to gauge traffic and accidentally plowing into the back of a truck stopped in front of him.
• Side underride crashes happen when a passenger vehicle slides under the side of a large truck. For example, a car might smash into the side of a truck that is making a u-turn at an intersection where both vehicles have the green light.
• Front underride wrecks happen as a result of a head-on collision. For example, on an undivided, rural highway, such as Illinois Route 2 near Byron, one vehicle might enter the lane of oncoming traffic in order to pass. At the last minute, both vehicles might change lanes in an attempt to avoid a collision—and cause a head-on crash.

Rear underride crashes are largely preventable by paying close attention to the vehicle in front of you and maintaining a safe following distance. In addition, current regulations require many large trucks to be equipped with an underride guard—a horizontal bar fastened to the back to help prevent rear underride.

Side guards and front guards are more controversial. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, side underride guards would help prevent accident fatalities. However, some major design issues—guard placement, weight, and strength—need to be addressed before they can be adopted for general use.

Research shows that front underride guards might not make much difference to the outcome of a head-on collision between a truck and a smaller vehicle. Even with a front underride guard, many of these accidents would cause fatal injuries to the car occupants due to the difference in size and weight of the vehicles involved.

Have you been seriously injured in a truck wreck that was not your fault? Contact our office today to schedule a free case evaluation or fill out the contact form on this page.