Truck Underride Accidents in Florida

Truck Underride Collisions and Motor Carrier Liability

Underride accidents represent some of the most catastrophic collisions on Florida highways. An underride occurs when a passenger vehicle slides underneath the rear or side of a commercial tractor-trailer, often shearing off the passenger compartment roof.

Federal Guard Regulations and Fleet Maintenance

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) mandates that interstate commercial trailers be equipped with Rear Impact Guards (49 CFR § 393.86):

• Rear Underride Guards: Guards must be structural steel designed to absorb impact energy and prevent passenger passenger compartment intrusion.
• Side Guard Regulations: While federal rules focus heavily on rear guards, failure to install optional side underride guards or maintain retroreflective tape can establish negligence.
• Guard Maintenance Failures: Operating trucks with rusted, bent, or improperly welded guards creates direct liability for trucking fleets.

Pursuing Complex Trucking Claims

Establishing liability requires securing trucking logs, black box electronic logging device (ELD) data, and maintenance records before evidence is destroyed.

Under Fla. Stat. § 95.11, victims of commercial truck accidents in Florida have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit.