While rear-end accidents are dangerous enough when they involve passenger vehicles, they are deadly when they involve big rigs.
Although there are many types of trucking accidents, few can cause as much devastation as when a small passenger vehicle is struck from behind by a large 18-wheeler or vice-versa. Commonly referred to as a "rear-end" accident, these big rig accidents have the potential to cause severe injury, property damage, and even death—regardless of whether the passenger vehicle was struck from behind or if it itself ran into the back of a commercial truck.
According to statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rear-end crashes account for 28% of all highway accidents. Unfortunately, such accidents are often caused by driver error—meaning that if the proper care and caution had been taken, there is a chance that the accident could have been avoided altogether.
Some examples of behaviors that might cause these accidents:
When a smaller passenger vehicle strikes a truck from behind, it can result in what is commonly known as an underride accident. These occur when the car slides underneath the truck—sometimes taking the top of the car off entirely. Statistics show that in 75% of rear-end accidents where a light vehicle was involved, at least some form of underride occurred, with the underride going up more than halfway the striking vehicle's hood in more than half of all crashes.
To help prevent these crashes, many trucks have an underride guard installed, which is designed to prevent a passenger vehicle from sliding underneath the truck. Unfortunately, not all trucks have this safety device installed. Worse, even the trucks that do have it are not perfectly protected as studies have shown that these devices do not always prevent crashes.
When a car rear-ends a larger truck, it can become an “underride” accident. This is because the chassis of the smaller passenger vehicle will often slide underneath the large truck’s trailer.
Learn MoreIn most rear-end accidents, it is often the school of thought that the driver of the striking vehicle is the one who is at fault; however, that is not always the case. For example, there are cases where a third vehicle may have been involved that caused the accident by cutting off the front car or road rage may have caused the driver in front to abruptly and intentionally slam on their brakes. In these cases, another driver may be deemed to be liable or partially at fault.
Due to the complexities of these claims, it is crucial that no time is wasted in contacting an experienced truck accident lawyer from Arnold & Itkin. We have recovered billions of dollars. We are committed to our clients' success, and we pride ourselves on always going above and beyond to help our clients recover the full and fair compensation that they deserve.
If you would like to learn more about how our firm can help with your claim, contact us today to schedule your free consultation! We look forward to helping protect your rights.