Denver Underride Collision Lawyers
Trial Lawyers Who Represent Victims of Truck Underride Collisions in Denver
When a car collides with a commercial truck, the passenger vehicle can become lodged beneath the truck trailer. This type of accident is called an underride collision. The injuries sustained in these crashes are often catastrophic and can be fatal. An experienced Denver truck crash attorney must be engaged as soon as possible. At Leventhal Puga Braley P.C., we are nationally-recognized trial lawyers with over 40 years of experience, and we take the job of protecting the rights of truck crash victims very seriously.
How Does a Truck Underride Collision Happen?
While you might believe that a commercial truck is equipped with a system to prevent a car from sliding beneath a large truck in the event of a collision, this is unfortunately not the case. There are two ways that passenger vehicles can be crushed under a truck in an underride collision:
Side underrides: Many truck underride collisions occur while a truck is turning. In these cases, a car can be forced under the body of the truck or trailer. Side underrides frequently cause the top of a car to be sheared off or crushed, causing traumatic injury or loss of life. There are no regulations in place that require large trucks to have guards that block a car from sliding beneath the side of a truck.
Rear underrides: Rear underrides occur when a car collides with the back of a large truck, usually when the truck brakes suddenly, is traveling slowly or parked. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires large trucks to have rear guards to prevent underrides, but these guards are not always effective.
What Are Common Causes of Truck Underrides?
Truck underride collisions can be caused by several different factors, many of which are caused by negligent driving conduct. Some of the more common causes of truck underrides include:
Truck driver negligence or recklessness: Truck drivers may be operating the vehicle while tired, speeding, intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, or distracted, with slowed reaction time, and miscalculate a turn.
Lack of maintenance: Rear underride guards and appropriate safety signs and lights are required on a truck rear. If these are not in place or have been damaged, the guard can fail, or the truck rear may be less visible.
The recklessness of another driver: Many trucking collisions are the result of another vehicle operator colliding with the truck or performing a reckless maneuver to which the trucker must respond. In such a case, the other driver may be at fault for the collision.
What Is the Value of Your Case?
While no amount of money can replace a loved one who has passed away or repair serious injuries that impact your quality of life, the ability to recover fair compensation can help you make the best of a tragic situation. Because underride collisions often lead to severe injuries or death, the compensation recovered is often high value, covering the following:
- Emergency medical costs
- Long-term costs of medical care
- Pain, suffering, and physical impairment
- Emotional anguish associated with permanent disabilities
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
The families of those who have lost a loved one in an underride collision can pursue wrongful death compensation that includes, but is not limited to:
- Medical costs leading up to death
- Funeral and burial costs
- Loss of financial and physical support
- Emotional trauma
- Loss of consortium (the loss of the support and love of a spouse)
Contact Us Today
If you or a loved one have suffered from a Colorado truck underride collision, the last thing you need to be worrying about is the legal issues surrounding compensation. You should have the freedom and time to heal and put your life back together. At Leventhal Puga Braley P.C., we are trial lawyers with over 40 years of experience protecting the rights of personal injury victims and pursuing maximum compensation. Our firm’s founder, Mr. Jim Leventhal, is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates – an elite group of the top 100 trial lawyers in the USA.
We never charge for an initial consultation, and our personal injury cases are taken on a contingency basis – you will not owe any legal fees unless we are successful in recovering compensation for you.
Additional Information
Great Trial Lawyers Obtaining Unparalleled Results
303-759-9945 
877-433-3906