Hire Max Meyers Law to Fight for Compensation You Deserve After Being Injured in a Dangerous Washington Underride Truck Accident
While any collision with a large commercial vehicle can be serious, being stuck underneath one causes catastrophic conditions such as traumatic brain injury, organ damage, or paralysis. It can be overwhelming to deal with the insurance company while coping with the pain of your injuries and the stress of not having a paycheck to pay your bills.
Fortunately, you don’t have to deal with this alone. At Max Meyers Law, we have decades of experience vigorously advocating for victims’ rights. We’ll work hard to hold the negligent driver, trucking company, and other liable parties accountable for compensating you for the damages you’re entitled to for your truck accident injuries.
What’s a Washington Truck Underride Accident? 
A truck underride accident happens when a smaller car or motorcycle slides under a much larger commercial vehicle, like a semi, tanker, or flatbed. As a result, drivers and passengers often suffer life-altering injuries or death. Here are the two most common types of underride truck accidents:
- Rear underride truck collision. This occurs when an automobile slams into the rear of a semi-truck and becomes trapped beneath it.
- Side underride truck crash. These collisions frequently
happen when a truck driver doesn’t yield the right of way
or is turning onto or crossing a street.
Leading Causes of Dangerous Underride Truck Accidents in Washington
In 2023, ProPublica released a detailed investigative story about underride accidents, including the use of safety bars on the backs and sides of many—but not all—large trucks. As solid metal structures, they don’t yield to absorb collision force like some bumpers might.
Additionally, “in an underride crash, these technologies are rendered moot by the height difference between a large truck and the average passenger vehicle. Typically, it is the windshield of the smaller vehicle that takes the brunt of impact, slamming into the bottom edge of the trailer as the steel pillars holding up the car’s roof collapse. In many cases, the airbags don’t even deploy,” the news organization notes.
While some underride truck accidents are caused by a motorist speeding or following the truck too closely from behind, many are caused by the truck operator, their employer, or another liable party's negligence. You should understand the causes of these dangerous accidents to know whether you have a claim for compensation for your injuries.
Our legal team finds these are the most common reasons our clients are injured in these tragic collisions:
- Reduced visibility. When the truck's taillights and reflectors are too dim, dirty, or broken, it can be impossible for a motorist to see it, especially at night or in heavy fog, before it’s too late. Under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations, large truck operators and trucking companies are responsible for inspecting and maintaining their fleet and not letting a vehicle on the road with malfunctioning taillights and reflectors.
- Speed of the truck. Some underride collisions are caused when truckers are driving well below the speed limit and fail to turn on their emergency flashers to warn nearby drivers.
- Lack of reflective triangles. If an operator doesn’t use reflective triangles when stopped on the roadside, this might also be the reason for an underride truck accident.
- U-turns. Another cause of these crashes is a truck driver making a dangerous U-turn or cutting across lanes to turn.
- Brakes. When an inattentive trucker suddenly slams on the brakes, the driver behind might not have enough time to slow down to avoid crashing into the rear end of the larger vehicle.
- Safety lights. FMCSA rules require semi-trailers, tankers, and other big rigs to have a certain number of reflective lights, reflectors, and tape on the side and back of the vehicle. Unfortunately, truckers' and trucking companies' failure to follow these regulations, and this negligence may contribute to your claim.
- Illegal parking. Our legal team finds that many preventable underride truck accidents are caused by operators parking illegally or at places motorists wouldn’t expect them to park. This is especially dangerous when visibility is poor.
6 Ways Our Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help If You Were Injured in an Underride Collision
It can be complicated to figure out the cause of your underride truck accident and who are the liable parties responsible for compensating you for your injuries. To make matters worse, their insurance company could do everything possible to deny your claim, try to force you to accept a reduced settlement, and delay paying you—even if you’re a completely innocent victim of the crash.
Fortunately, Max Meyers Law will be with you every step of the way fighting for your rights. Here are six ways our experienced truck accident lawyer will assist you in building a winning case:
1. Handle Communications With the Insurance Company
Our legal team takes over communicating with insurers for you. We do this to ensure that an adjuster doesn’t take advantage of you and that you don’t say or agree to something that could hurt your case, such as accepting a quick settlement of your claim.
2. Determine Why Your Collision Happened
We preserve all necessary evidence to prove your case. This includes collecting:
- The police report.
- Photos taken at the crash scene.
- Your medical records.
- Paystubs and insurance policies.
We also send the trucking company a spoliation letter right away, informing them of your claim and the critical evidence they have, such as the truck's maintenance records, operator's logbook, vehicle dashcam video, and trucker's personnel file. All of this can help prove the cause of your underride truck accident.
3. Identify All Liable Parties
Depending on the cause, multiple parties may be responsible for compensating you in addition to the at-fault trucker. The fleet company could be held accountable for its negligent actions or be vicariously liable for its driver's negligence. The shipper, truck manufacturer, and maintenance facility might also face liability. Our team identifies all liable parties and pursues damages to ensure that you receive the full value of your claim.
4. Value Your Claim
At Max Meyers Law, we offer you more than 25 years of experience successfully settling and negotiating truck accident claims. So we know exactly how to structure a fair settlement that covers all your losses.
5. Negotiate Your Settlement
We also attempt an out-of-court settlement with the insurance company. We collect any additional evidence and hire expert witnesses, if necessary, to resolve disputes raised to avoid paying you.
6. Take Your Case to Trial
If the insurer refuses to offer you the compensation you deserve or the deadline to sue is approaching, we won’t hesitate to file a lawsuit. We’ll aggressively litigate your case, including taking it to a jury trial if this is the best way to obtain the damages you’re entitled to under Washington law.
