Warwick Underride/Override Truck Accident Attorneys
Have you been injured in Rhode Island in an underride or override accident caused by a truck driver’s negligence? Did you or your family sustain injuries or other losses? You may be entitled to compensation for what you endured in the accident.
The Warwick truck accident attorneys of Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. have helped thousands of Rhode Island residents get compensation for their truck accidents, and we can do the same for you. Call us today at (401) 751-8855 for a free, no-obligation consultation, and let us show you how we can help you get your life back to normal after a truck accident.
What Is an Override/Underride Truck Accident?
An underride accident occurs when a vehicle behind or next to an 18-wheel truck strikes the trailer and is driven underneath it. These types of accidents usually occur when another motorist is unable to stop fast enough and strikes the rear of the trailer or when a motorist beside the truck strikes the trailer between the drive wheels and trailer wheels and is caught underneath.
An override accident is when a truck strikes another vehicle, usually a passenger car, and due to the large size of the truck, drives over it with the cab or trailer, crushing the car.
Due to the large size and weight difference between 18-wheel trucks and passenger cars, underride/override accidents are surprisingly common. According to a study published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2013, in rear-end accidents where the striking vehicle was a passenger car, underride occurred 75% of the time. Similarly, in accidents where the truck was the striking vehicle, override also occurred 75% of the time.
Causes of Underride/Override Accidents
Truck drivers are required to have additional training in how to handle their vehicles on crowded roadways. If they do not adequately check their blind spots or stay aware of traffic moving around them as they were trained to do, an underride/override accident can happen quickly.
Some causes of underride/override accidents include:
- Driver negligence
- Bad road conditions
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Unsecured loads
- Poor vehicle/tire maintenance
- Blowouts
- Unsafe lane change
- Unsafe backing
Possible Injuries in an Underride/Override Accidents
Any accident between a passenger car and a large, over-the-road truck is more dangerous than an accident between passenger cars due to the size difference of the vehicles. Trucks can be eight feet wide, 13 feet tall, 70 feet long, and weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Compared to a 15-foot passenger vehicle weighing 4,000 pounds, a truck is a rolling behemoth.
Injuries someone can sustain in an underride/override accident can include:
- Broken bones
- Whiplash
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Lacerations
- Amputation
- Sprains
- Burns
- Spinal cord injury
- Coma
- Death
Do I Need an Attorney?
If your accident was severe enough to cause injuries, you should consider hiring an attorney to assist you in filing an injury claim. You’re certainly able to do so on your own, but having an attorney assist you can bring some distinct advantages.
First, we can help you estimate damages. Getting compensation after an injury isn’t just about paying for medical bills. It’s also about restoring what’s lost after your accident, both material and immaterial. We will use our experience with Rhode Island injury law to assess your claim and arrive at a number that covers all your losses, like pain and suffering or emotional distress, and covers the costs of the accident as well as helping you regain your peace of mind.
Second, we know how insurance companies bully claimants. They make money by collecting premiums and denying payouts to claimants just like you, and they are very good at it. They will tell you that you don’t need an attorney or ask why you’d want to split your settlement with a lawyer. They will try to take advantage of you by offering you a quick settlement to cover immediate post-accident expenses like hospital bills or repairs to your vehicle, hoping that you won’t realize the amount is far less than you deserve. We know these tactics well, and we know how to fight them.
Third, we will do the work for you. If you or your family have been injured in an underride/override accident, you don’t have time to worry about filling out insurance forms or collecting medical records to prove your injuries. When you hire a lawyer, we take care of everything for you. We become the point of contact for the insurance adjusters, we handle settlement negotiations, and we handle every aspect of building and filing your injury claim so you can get back to the more important business of getting you or your family’s life back together after a crash.
And finally, we know injury law and how to make it work for you. We’re intimately familiar with Rhode Island injury law and the claims process because we’ve done it all before. We will bring the full weight of our skills and experience to bear on your case.
What Kind of Damages Can I Get?
The actual amount of compensation you can obtain after an underride/override accident is not easily estimated. Each accident and injury claim is unique, with particular circumstances that reveal the actual losses suffered. We can certainly look back at previous cases to get a rough estimate, but even then, we won’t know the value of your specific claim until we talk to you about your accident and get the facts.
Obtaining compensation is about recovering money to cover specific losses after an accident. Some of these losses are material, such as lost wages or property damage, and some are not, such as pain and suffering or loss of enjoyment of life.
You could be eligible for compensation to cover many different types of losses, such as:
- Property damage
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Long-term disability
- Increased living expenses
- Loss of consortium
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Wrongful death
Contact Us Today for a Free Consultation
Don’t let an override/underride truck accident send your life down the wrong road. Call Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. today for a free, no-obligation consultation at (401) 751-8855. We’ll show you why Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. is the number one injury firm in Warwick and how we’ve helped thousands of clients recover millions of dollars in compensation. Call today.
