Georgia Injury Lawyers Blog
So-called “underride” accidents account for less than 1 percent of all traffic fatalities but take on an out-sized importance because of the belief that such accidents can be prevented with additional safety equipment. Underride accidents occur when a vehicle – usually a passenger car – strikes a tractor-trailer from behind or from the side and wedges the passenger vehicle under the trailer. Because the trailer portion of a tractor-trailer rig has a high ground clearance, passenger cars generally can pass under the trailer, usually shearing the top off the car and resulting in catastrophic, frequently fatal injuries to the occupants of the car. The federal government has taken some steps regarding underride accidents but has not mandated the use of all of the safety equipment necessary to reduce or prevent such crashes.
If you have been hurt in an accident with a commercial vehicle, call us today to speak with an Atlanta truck accident lawyer.