If you’ve ever traveled down a busy highway full of big rigs and felt nervous, you should. In a regular car crash, metal on metal is already deadly. Throw in a large semi-truck and it’s no question who wins. Big rigs can crush your motor vehicle and tear into the metal like the T-Rex on Jurassic Park. Accidents with large trucks are often deadlier, especially when there is an underride crash.
If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident involving a big rig, you need a North Carolina, Charlotte truck accident attorney. Brown, Moore & Associates PLLC has extensive experience with truck accidents. Trucking companies have a difficult time finding qualified truck drivers. Currently, there is an industry shortage of 35,000. With so many truckers due to retire and few younger drivers filling the gaps, the industry may get desperate in the coming years. You need an aggressive attorney by your side to secure the compensation for physical, emotional, and financial burdens. Call today.
Third Times the Charm
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Marco Rubio are proposing a bill for the third time to make the roads safer. Large truck crashes are devastating enough. There is an opportunity to help avoid some of the more gruesome accidents by putting guards on the sides, front, and back of big rigs to prevent automobiles from sliding underneath. The Bill, Stop Underrides Act, could save hundreds of lives a year.
Underride accidents are known for causing decapitation, amputations, disfiguring burns, permanent and severe scarring, paralysis, and traumatic brain injuries. When a car slides underneath a large truck or tractor-trailer, think of it like a dull can opener that tears the lid off the car. It’s jagged, messy, and few will walk away.
How Many Deaths Are Attributed to Underride Accidents?
Trucking accidents are often fatal, but how many lives would be saved if we zeroed in on just underride accidents?
- In the latest reporting year from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, 850 people were killed in accidents with the side or rear of a semi
- 80% of fatalities from a truck accident involved one car going underneath the large truck entirely or partially
If so many lives can be saved, why hasn’t the Bill passed before?
According to the US Government Accountability Office, underride guards are in varying stages of development. The ones that are in use are not required to be inspected. Side underride guards are currently being developed, but stakeholders have stated there are problems with the added stress on the tractor-trailer frames.
Why Call Brown, Moore, & Associates PLLC
Underride crashes are almost always fatal, according to the statistics above. If you have lost someone you love due to a driver’s negligence, you need a wrongful death lawyer in Charlotte, North Carolina. Contact us for a free consultation of your case by clicking here or calling us at 800-948-0577.