A Virginia semi accident lawyer notes a report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) suggesting that rear impact guards on semi trucks might be prone to failure during certain collisions, allowing catastrophic under-ride crashes to occur. Virginia truck accident lawyers can help people injured in trucking accidents.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Virginia today. Our consultations are free, confidential and without any obligation on your part. We can help answer your questions, and if you choose to pursue a claim we can connect you with an affiliated Virginia semi accident lawyer who can assist you throughout the legal process.
Important: The time you have to pursue a claim is limited. Contact us for more information.
Study: 400 Lives Lost in Semi Under-Ride Crashes Every Year
According to tests completed by the IIHS, the rear impact guards that are placed on semi trucks to stop under-ride crashes may not effectively prevent this outcome during a common type of collision. As NBC News explains, these impact guards are designed to withstand greater forces near the middle than the edges, and testing indicates that most guard models are effective when at least 50 percent of a vehicle strikes the guard head-on. However, when a smaller section of the vehicle hits the edge of the guard — which may happen if a driver tries to swerve to avoid rear-ending a truck — many rear impact guards will give way.
The Institute states that the part that fails is the guard that is attached to the trailer – either fasteners fail or the guard will sheer off from the structure itself. The IIHS suggests that the structures that hold the guard to the trailer itself need to be stronger and possibly more of them is necessary. These findings could help explain why under-ride accidents remain a serious problem despite the use of rear impact guards. IIHS research shows that these accidents still represent about 14 percent of fatal front-end collisions. In a typical year, about 400 lives are lost in under-ride crashes, the website reported.
How a Virginia Semi Accident Lawyer Can Help
Truck drivers and trucking companies have a duty to make sure that they operate and maintain their vehicles in a safe manner. If this duty is not fulfilled, a tractor trailer accident may occur, and the truck driver or trucking company can be held liable for injuries that may result.
Drivers or passengers who are injured in a tractor-trailer accident may be entitled to compensation for damages resulting from their injuries, including:
- Medical Expenses
- Lost Wages
- Pain and Suffering
The families of those killed in a tractor-trailer accident may be eligible to recover money for funeral expenses and the pain that comes with losing a loved one.
The Time You Have to Pursue a Claim is Limited. Contact Us Today.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Virginia. You can fill out the form on this page or contact us by phone or email.
After you contact us, an attorney will follow up to answer questions that you might have. There is no cost or obligation to speak with us, and any information you provide will be kept confidential.
Please note that the law limits the time you have to pursue a claim or file a lawsuit for an injury. If you think you have a case, you should not delay taking action.
