Why Truck Underride Crashes Are So Deadly

Some truck accidents are survivable. Underride crashes often aren’t. When a passenger vehicle slides beneath the body of a larger truck, the roof of the smaller car can be sheared off entirely, and standard safety features like airbags and crumple zones become useless.

A Fatal Crash on the 10 Freeway

In November 2025, a multi-vehicle collision on the eastbound 10 Freeway near Crenshaw Boulevard left one man dead and another hospitalized. According to Patch, a food truck collided with a passenger vehicle in the early morning hours. The car ended up underneath the truck, and both vehicles caught fire. The victim, a man approximately 40 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene.

This type of crash, where a smaller vehicle slides beneath a larger one, is known as an underride collision. And it’s one of the most devastating outcomes in any truck accident.

How Underride Crashes Happen

Underride collisions typically fall into three categories. Rear underride occurs when a car strikes or slides beneath the back of a truck. Side underride happens when a vehicle collides with the side of a trailer, often during a turn or lane change. Front override involves the truck riding over a smaller vehicle ahead of it.

Several factors contribute to these crashes:

• Sudden stops by the truck or trailing vehicle
• Poor visibility at night or in heavy fog
• Trucks making wide turns across traffic lanes
• Lack of reflective markings or adequate lighting on the trailer
• Missing, damaged, or ineffective underride guards

The height gap between commercial trucks and passenger cars is the core problem. Standard bumpers on a car sit far lower than the cargo bed of most trucks, which means impact forces bypass the vehicle’s structural frame entirely.

What Federal Law Requires

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulates rear underride guards on trailers and has strengthened standards over the years. But significant gaps remain. There are currently no federal requirements for side underride guards, even though side impacts account for a substantial portion of underride fatalities. Single-unit trucks like food trucks, box trucks, and dump trucks also face less stringent guard requirements than tractor-trailers.

That means many of the commercial vehicles sharing the road with you right now don’t have the safety equipment needed to prevent an underride collision.

Who Can Be Held Liable

In a Culver City truck accident involving an underride crash, liability can extend well beyond the driver. Depending on the circumstances, potentially responsible parties may include:

• The truck driver, for distracted driving, fatigue, or failing to signal
• The trucking company, for inadequate maintenance or failure to install proper guards
• The vehicle or trailer manufacturer, if the underride guard was defectively designed
• A third-party maintenance provider, if the guard was damaged and not repaired
• The cargo loader, if improperly loaded cargo contributed to the crash

California allows injured parties to pursue claims against multiple defendants in a single case. When more than one party contributed to the crash, each can be held proportionally liable for the damages they caused.

What Families Can Recover in a Wrongful Death Case

When an underride crash is fatal, surviving family members may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit. Recoverable damages often include funeral and burial costs, lost financial support the victim would have provided, loss of companionship and emotional support, and medical expenses incurred before the death.

These cases are time-sensitive. California’s statute of limitations sets a two-year deadline for filing a wrongful death claim, starting from the date of the death.

Cohen Injury Law Group represents families and individuals throughout Southern California who’ve suffered catastrophic injuries or lost a loved one in a collision involving a commercial vehicle.

Getting Answers After a Truck Accident

Underride crashes are violent, sudden, and often preventable. If you or your family has been affected by a Culver City truck accident involving a commercial vehicle, a Culver City truck accident lawyer can help you identify who was at fault and pursue the compensation you’re entitled to.