Louisiana Truck Underride Collisions Are Deadly

Louisiana, with its busy waterway connections to the Gulf and the Mississippi, has some of the densest 18-wheeler traffic in the nation. Sharing the road with so many tractor-trailers and other heavy trucks brings its own set of risks, and Louisiana motorists do whatever they can to stay clear and avoid devastating semi-truck crashes.

Approximately 25 percent of the fatalities from accidents with tractor-trailers in Louisiana are caused by underride accidents, of which there are two types: side and rear underrides.

What are truck underride accidents?

An underride is when a passenger car hits a straight truck or the trailer of a tractor-trailer and runs under the truck. This type of collision can either flatten or sheer the car roof off, which may result in the car occupants being killed.

Side underride crashes frequently happen when visibility is poor (at night or during low sun-angle conditions) when a truck driver makes a U-turn, crosses a highway or attempts to enter into a side street. With the assumption that drivers of other vehicles can see them, the truck driver's slow maneuver can result in a devastating crash if oncoming drivers don't see the truck until it is too late.

Rear underride crashes are frequently caused when semi-trailers are parked on the side of the road or are slowing to exit a highway or merge with highway traffic. Traffic jams are another cause of rear underrides, often aggravated when taillights are not functioning, dirty or obscured by cargo. It is not uncommon for car drivers to fail to realize the speed difference between their fast moving car and a slow truck. Inattention during a couple of seconds may lead to a rear-end crash and underride.

If you have been hurt in a truck accident caused by someone else, contact the New Orleans accident attorneys of the Young Firm for a FREE discussion of your case. Order now our FREE lawyer book "A Guide To Steering Through a Serious Vehicle Accident in Louisiana."