By far, truck accidents are some of the most dangerous accidents in which anyone could be involved. In the majority of cases, truck accidents are truck versus passenger vehicle. Although it is possible to survive truck accidents, a number of victims of truck accidents – especially underride accidents – are not lucky enough to survive. Underride accidents occur when passenger vehicles crash into trucks/trailers and become lodged underneath. Many trucks have guards to prevent truck accidents from leading to underride; however, underride accidents continue to occur, causing devastation. Did you know that underride incidents could be prevented by appropriate under guards on commercial vehicles? Under guards, including rear guards and side guards, are designed to stop passenger vehicles from sliding under trailers. Did you know that current under guard regulations are resulting in failures to prevent underride? Under guards are not strong enough and are often installed incorrectly – and sometimes not installed at all. People continue to lose their lives and suffer injuries needlessly due to under guard failures. Were you or your family affected after a traumatic truck accident? Whether you suffered severe injuries or a member of your family died in an underride truck accident, it is important that you know that you have the right to take action. If you would like to learn more about your right to pursue a claim after an underride truck accident, do not hesitate to contact our law firm at your earliest convenience.

Guardrail Standards May Be Inadequate to Prevent Semi-Truck Underride Accidents

Downtown L.A. Law Group is a personal injury law firm with many years of experience handling a variety of personal injury claims, including truck accident claims. Our lawyers are ready to evaluate your underride truck accident claim and provide you with the information to start or continue your claim. If you would like to learn more about your right to pursue a claim and fight for your right to be compensated after you or your family were affected by an underride truck accident, do not hesitate to contact our law firm as soon as possible. Our experts at Downtown L.A. Law Group are ready to provide you with the legal assistance that you need to pursue a claim.

– Injured in a Truck Accident

What is Truck Underguard rails?

What is truck underguard? Underride occurs when vehicles get lodged underneath trucks after colliding with them. Why does this happen? When directly comparing trucks to normal passenger vehicles, you will find that the vehicles are completely mismatched – the bottom of the truck is not at the same as the bottom of the vehicle. This means that the first point of impact in a collision is not the vehicle’s crush/crumple zone – which is supposed to soften the impact of the accident.

What is the purpose of a truck underride guard?

On the contrary, in most truck accidents, the impact occurs on the windshield of the car, which also impacts the head and upper body of the occupants of the vehicle crashing into the truck. This is called Passenger Compartment Intrusion (PCI). The impact to the head and upper body of the vehicle occupants can result in both deaths and permanent debilitating injuries.

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Statistics on Underride Truck Accidents

During a twenty-year period (1994 to 2014), approximately 1,500 people have been killed in side underride crashes. This number does not include rear underride crashes or any other type of truck accident. In 2015, more than 4,000 people died in accidents that involved commercial trucks. In 2017, there were almost 1,600 fatal truck accidents in which the initial impact occurred on the sides (left or right) and rear of the truck – the places where underguard is most common.

Rear Underride Guards Required by Federal Law

In 1996, the National Highway Safety Administration implemented regulations on the federal level that required underride guards to be installed on commercial trucks. Just a short two years later, in 1998, these regulations were significantly strengthened. The new regulations significantly increased the number of commercial trucks that are required to have rear underride guards. The regulations also set requirements on the weight, height, and strength of the rear underride guards. Even with these regulations, underride accidents continue to be dangerously common.

– Who’s at Fault for Truck Accident

The Problem with Rear Underride Guards

Although rear underride guards are required by federal law, there are many problems with them. Most rear underride guards are completely ineffective at high speeds. There have also been instances where these rear guides simply fall off during a collision. In many cases, these guards are not installed properly. In other cases, responsible parties (such as truck owners and trucking companies) fail to address deteriorating guards. When any of this happens, truck accidents have an even higher risk of being fatal.

– Common Causes of Truck Accidents

The Need for Side-Guards on Trucks

A few years ago, there was an attempt at introducing legislation that would make side-guards a requirement for trucks. The Stop Underrides Act (2017) would have required guards on both the sides and fronts of trucks/trailers weighing more than 10,000 pounds. The act would have also updated the standards for rear underride guards. Unfortunately, the Stop Underrides Act never passed, leaving commercial vehicles without sideguard rails. Considering that so many guardrail truck accidents are side under ride accidents (that usually result from a t-bone collision), side underride guards seem to be essential in preventing underride injuries and deaths during truck accidents. a truck underride guard

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The Common Causes of Truck Accidents

Why do truck accidents occur? Truck accidents can occur for a number of reasons, most of which are caused by negligence. For instance, the negligent actions of truck drivers (weaving in and out of traffic, slamming on the brakes, drunk driving, and fatigued driving, for example) could quickly cause truck accidents. The negligent actions of auto drivers (the ones more likely to suffer injuries) can also contribute to truck accidents. Without a doubt, truck d rivers and auto drivers can negligently contribute to dangerous truck accidents; however, other parties could also be found liable based on the ways that their negligent actions (and lack of actions) contributed to the accident or making the accident worse. When truck owners or trucking companies fail to ensure that that underride guards are properly installed, they are creating the risk of truck accidents resulting in underride. If you would like to learn more about the common causes of truck accidents and the different ways that parties could be held accountable, do not hesitate to contact the truck accident lawyers at Downtown L.A. Law Group.

– California Truck Accident Laws

Your Right to Pursue a Truck Accident Claim

Do you have the right to pursue a truck accident claim after being involved or affected by a truck accident? Your right to pursue a truck accident claims depends on the specific details surrounding your accident. If the truck accident that affected you and your family was a direct result of negligence, you will likely have grounds to pursue a claim. Was the truck accident caused by the negligent actions of the truck driver? Did the accident lead to underride due to the negligent actions of the truck owner or trucking company? If the underride truck accident that you and your family experienced was caused by negligence in any way, you likely have grounds to pursue a claim. You also likely have grounds to receive compensation. For more information about your right to sue after being affected by an underride truck accident, do not hesitate to contact our law firm at your earliest convenience.

Your Right to Recover Compensation

Depending on the specific details of your claim, you might be eligible to recover compensation for all the damages resulting from the underride truck accident. The specific type and amount of compensation that you are eligible to receive is based on the details surrounding the accident; however, victims and their families could recover some of the following categories of compensation:

– How to Prevent the Risk of Fatal Underride Truck Accidents

• Medical expenses
• Lost income
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium
• Funeral and burial expenses
• Property damage
• Punitive damages

Whether you suffered injuries or a member of your family lost his or her life, the right to recover compensation is the same. If you would like to learn more about your right to recover compensation after you and your family were affected by a horrible underride truck accident, do not hesitate to contact our law firm as soon as possible. When you contact our law firm and allow our experts to fight for your rights, you could be certain that we will represent your right to recover the maximum amount of compensation available for your claim. If you would like to learn more about the type and amount of compensation that you might be eligible to recover, do not hesitate to contact our experts to discuss the details of your claim.

What Should You Do after a Truck Accident?

What should you do after being affected by a truck accident? There are a number of things that you should focus on immediately after being affected by a truck accident. For truck accident claims, evidence is essential to eventually reach a successful outcome. Because of that, it is absolutely important that you do everything within your reach to collect viable evidence. You should do all of the following:

• Take photographs of the scene of the accident
• Take photographs of any injuries sustained
• Seek medical attention
• Gather insurance information for all parties involved in the accident
• File a police report
• Report the accident to the insurance company
• Gather witness information
• Take note of surveillance cameras that might have captured the accident

These recommended steps apply to both victims that were directly involved in the accident and the family members of deceased victims, for instance. In the case of a fatally, it is essential that the victim’s cause of death is clear on all reports. If you would like to learn more about what you can do after a truck accident and how you could collect evidence, do not hesitate to contact our law firm at your earliest convenience.

How Long Do You Have to Pursue a Claim?

Without a doubt, truck accidents – especially underride truck accidents – can be devastating. It can take months or even years for victims and their families to finally overcome the traumatic accident. Because of this, filing a claim might be the last thing on your mind. However, if you want to eventually pursue a claim and fight for your right to be compensated, it is essential that you pursue your claim promptly – as you only have a short length of time to take action. In the state of California, personal injury claims are subject to a two-year statute of limitations. What does this mean? You will only have two years to pursue your claim. If your claim isn’t filed within the two years allowed by the statute of limitations, you could lose your right to sue (and your right to receive compensation). Depending on the specific details of your claim, it is possible that you will have even less time to take action. Because of that, it is essential that you seek legal assistance as soon as possible for more information about the deadlines that might apply to your claim.

Contact Our Firm Today

Were you or a member of your family involved in a truck accident? Did you suffer extensive injuries? Did a member of your family lose his or her life? If you were affected by an underride truck accident in any way, you might have grounds to pursue a claim – depending on the details of your claim you might also be eligible to recover compensation for the damages caused by the accident. If you are interested in pursuing an underride truck accident claim, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance as possible. To discuss your truck accident claim with experts on the matter, it is important that you seek the guidance of the experts at Downtown L.A. Law Group. Our lawyers have many years of experience handling a variety of personal injury claims, including truck accident claims. Our lawyers have the expertise necessary to successfully handle your claim and help you recover the compensation that you deserve. If you would like to discuss your claim with our lawyers, contact us at your earliest convenience.

Side and Rear Guards Could Prevent Underride Accidents

Our firm is committed to helping all victims and their families after being affected by truck accidents. We have a thorough understanding of all the devastation that could result from a truck accident – and we are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need. When you contact our law firm, you will find that we offer free legal services, including free consultations and free second opinions. During our free consultations and free second opinions, our lawyers will be available to evaluate your claim, answer all your questions, and address all your concerns. Regardless of the specific details of your claim, you could be certain that our knowledgeable attorneys will provide you with all the information that you need to take legal action against the parties liable for the truck accident that harmed you and your family. If you would like to benefit from our free consultations and free second opinions, do not hesitate to contact our law firm at your earliest convenience – we are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to fight for your right to recover compensation.

If you or your family were affected by an underride truck accident, it is essential that you seek legal assistance as soon as possible. As previously mentioned, our experts are dedicated to providing you with the representation that you need. Our free legal services described above are available as part of our Zero-Fee guarantee. Our Zero-Fee guarantee ensures that our clients never have to worry about paying any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. In fact, our firm is also based on contingency; therefore, our clients will not be required to pay any legal expenses until after their claims reach successful outcomes. If you would like to allow our experts to handle your claim after the truck accident that affected you and your family, do not hesitate to contact our law firm as soon as possible.