One of the worst accidents on the road is a car “underriding” a semi. It is gruesome.
In a hurry to get to where you’re going? Slow down when you’re on the highway. This man didn’t and ended up dead underneath a semi-truck.
The two vehicles involved in this fatal collision were heading east on the highway. One vehicle was a fully loaded semi, weighing about 80,000 pounds. The other vehicle was a Toyota, weighing about 4,000 pounds or less. According to eye witness reports garnered by the police after the wreck, the semi driver was taking his time, and almost dawdling along in the commuter lane.
The Toyota driver was in a tear to get to where he was going, perhaps unimpressed by the speed of the truck. In order to try and get ahead and get around the semi, the Toyota merged behind it in the commuter lane. Seriously underestimating his speed and the amount of room in which to accelerate, the driver drove his car under the semi. When accidents like that happen, the occupants of the car are lucky if they survive without life-threatening injuries. In many cases, underriders are decapitated.
The Toyota driver did make it out of the crash alive and was taken to the hospital with an extremely serious head laceration and a broken clavicle. The front seat passenger sustained hip and chest injuries. The backseat passenger was pronounced dead at the scene.
There are a number of other questions that need to be answered in this case. For instance, was the Toyota driver also driving while distracted? Texting? Horsing around with his passengers? Speeding? Talking on a cell phone? It appears that he was not driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but was still driving negligently given the circumstances. You just don’t mess with a semi. You follow the rules of the road and drive with due care and attention.
The passengers in the Toyota would definitely be able to file injury lawsuits. In the case of the front seat passenger, it would be a personal injury lawsuit seeking compensation for medical expenses. In the case of the deceased backseat passenger, the family would most likely file a wrongful death lawsuit. In both lawsuits, negligence needs to be present. Without a doubt the Toyota driver was negligent in driving in such a manner as to end up under a semi.
Bobby Lee is an Austin personal injury lawyer for Lee, Gober and Reyna. If you need an Austin personal injury lawyer, contact an Austin personal injury attorney from Lee, Gober and Reyna. Visit RWLeelaw.com.
