Wichita, Kansas Personal Injury Attorneys: What Is an Underride Accident?

underride accident

The Kansas Department of Transportation’s latest statistics show that nearly 700 fatal and injury crashes involving large trucks occurred on Kansas roadways in 2017. A collision with a large truck can be a harrowing experience with life-altering consequences. While any collision between a passenger vehicle and and large commercial vehicle can cause grave damage, one type of accident is particularly devastating: an underride accident.

Underride accidents occur when the driver of a semi truck and trailer abruptly changes lanes and a passenger vehicle is caught underneath the trailer. According to government statistics, more than 200 people die from underride accidents every year. Many believe that number to underreport the actual number of deaths caused by underride accidents. While attempts have been made to add safety features on the sides of semi trailers to prevent or reduce the likelihood of an underride crash, no laws or regulations exist to mandate installation of these devices. So underride accidents continue to produce some of the most grievous injuries of any vehicle collision.

“We see very serious injuries from underride accidents,” said Scott Mann, personal injury lawyer at Mann Wyatt Tanksley Injury Attorneys. “Often in these accidents, the passenger vehicle attempts to slow down and gets caught up in the rear axle of the semi trailer.”

Mann explains that in the worst types of these accidents, the trailer will go all the way over the passenger vehicle and sheer the top off.

Contact A Wichita Personal Injury Lawyer Today

If you’ve recently suffered a personal injury as the result of a car accident in Wichita, contact Mann Wyatt Tanksley Injury Attorneys today. Our more than 75 years of combined litigation experience has helped us make sure clients receive the compensation they deserve. Compensation could cover medical treatment, rehabilitative care, lost wages from time take off work, future lost income for disabling injuries, property damage, pain and suffering, or emotional trauma.

Request a free consultation with our team of Wichita personal injury attorneys or contact us directly at (877) 768-2400.