Underride Truck Accidents in California: What Drivers Need to Know

Most Californians know that sharing the road with an 80,000-pound semi-truck is risky, but few have heard the term "underride accident" — even though it's one of the deadliest types of truck collisions on our roads. If you've been in a crash where your vehicle ended up partially or fully beneath a truck's trailer, you're dealing with exactly this kind of accident, and it's important to understand your rights.

What Is an Underride Accident?

An underride accident happens when a passenger vehicle crashes into the side or rear of a semi-truck's trailer and slides beneath its undercarriage. Because a sedan or similar car sits much lower than a trailer, the impact can crush the vehicle or shear off its roof entirely — a devastating outcome for anyone inside.

Rear Underride vs. Side Underride

There are two main types of underride crashes:

• Rear underride happens when a vehicle rear-ends a semi-truck's trailer, often because the truck stopped suddenly or the following car didn't have enough distance to stop in time.
• Side underride happens when a vehicle strikes the side of a trailer — commonly during a truck's wide turn, a U-turn, or a lane change where the driver didn't see a smaller vehicle nearby.

What Causes Underride Accidents?

A number of factors tend to show up in these cases: poor visibility during fog or heavy rain, dim or malfunctioning brake lights that make it hard for other drivers to judge stopping distance, and underride guards that are missing, damaged, or fail on impact. Driver error — on the part of either the truck driver or another motorist — and, unfortunately, drug or alcohol use in the trucking industry also contribute to a significant number of underride crashes.

Why Are These Accidents So Dangerous?

Underride collisions are uniquely catastrophic because the passenger compartment of the smaller vehicle takes the direct impact, rather than a bumper or crumple zone built to absorb the collision. This dramatically increases the risk of severe injury, permanent disability, or death compared to other types of truck accidents.

What Compensation Is Available?

Victims of underride accidents may be entitled to compensation for medical bills (which can easily reach hundreds of thousands of dollars for serious injuries), lost wages, and emotional distress. Families who have lost a loved one in an underride accident may also be entitled to compensation for that loss.

What to Do After an Underride Accident

Get medical attention first — injuries from underride crashes are frequently severe and may not be immediately obvious. Once you've addressed your immediate health needs, start gathering any medical records, photos, and accident reports you can, since this documentation will be critical to building your claim.

Talk to an Underride Accident Attorney

Underride accidents are complex, often involving questions about truck maintenance, underride guard failures, and multiple potentially liable parties. If you or someone you love has been hurt in one, call 949-727-9300 for a free consultation with our California truck accident attorneys.