Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
Don’t confuse underriding with underwriting. These are two different things, and one will kill you.
Just when you think you may have heard everything, you hear about a fairly graphic term that happens in certain accident cases called underriding. Underriding refers to a wreck where a vehicle or a motorcycle drives under the trailer of a big rig. These accidents are not pretty, are mostly fatal and if they aren’t, the survivors sustain catastrophic injuries such as brain injury, spinal cord injury, shattered bones and severe crush injuries.
In underriding cases, there is no question you will need a highly experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer to help you get the proper compensation to care for you for the rest of your life. If you do not survive your injuries, then that same lawyer may help the family file a wrongful death lawsuit.
What causes underriding? There are a number of reasons for underriding accidents. They usually have to do with a truck driving without lights or the lights are so dirty they can’t be seen. There have also been cases where the reflective tape and the lights have been damaged and not replaced.
Another reason for a fatality of this nature is if the truck is moving much slower than the posted speed limit, or it has been left too close to the road and does not have warning cones. As you may imagine, if it is dark outside and the truck can’t be seen that well, it’s hard to judge distance or even be able to see the rig.
There have also been instances when a truck has jackknifed across a fairly narrow road and they have no warning lights or cones out or the truck is missing the usual rear guard that is specifically designed to stop underride wrecks. An underride accident may also happen if the guards on the rear of the truck are defective or not properly attached. There have even been situations where a big rig backs into a smaller vehicle, causing an underride accident.
What this all boils down to is that there are any number of ways to fall victim to an underride accident. Survivors are usually in desperate need for compensation to pay for their medical expenses for the rest of their lives. Most survivors will not be able to work, may not be able to walk, speak or even communicate that well. They may have been horribly burned as their vehicle burst into flames.
The point is that those with debilitating injuries like burns, spinal cord injury or brain damage will need long-term care, and that is expensive. Only a skilled Atlanta personal injury lawyer will be able to get you the kind of compensation you need for the care you require.
If you’re not sure if you have a case, don’t hesitate to contact an Atlanta personal injury lawyer and start asking questions. Your life and your care may depend on it.
Tim Anderson writes for Atlanta Personal Injury attorney, Stephen M. Ozcomert. The firm specializes in personal injury, malpractice, motorcycle accidents, and wrongful death. To learn more about Atlanta personal injury lawyer, Stephen M. Ozcomert, visit Ozcomert.com.