Item: Steven M. Sweat, Personal Injury Lawyers, APC
Rating: 5
Author: Josie A.

T-Bone Car Accident Claims in California

T-bone car accident claims in California are among the most deadly type, accounting for 27 percent of fatal motor vehicle collisions. I know this first hand as a motor vehicle collision attorney representing victims of intersection crashes in Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire. When a person is occupying a vehicle that suffers such a collision, there is much less ability of the side of a vehicle to absorb the physical forces involved. The type and severity of resulting injuries will depend on a number of factors. Here is what people need to understand about side-impact crashes.

Causes of T-Bone Accidents

A T-bone accident, also known as a side-impact or broadside collision, occurs when the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another vehicle, forming a "T" shape. These accidents can be particularly dangerous because the sides of vehicles typically offer less protection than the front or rear. The causes of T-bone accidents include:

Failure to Yield: This is one of the most common causes. A driver may fail to yield the right-of-way at an intersection, either due to distraction, impatience, or misjudgment, resulting in a side-impact collision.
Running Red Lights and Stop Signs: A driver who runs a red light or fails to stop at a stop sign can strike another vehicle that has the right-of-way.
Distracted Driving: Using a phone, eating, adjusting the radio, or other distractions can take a driver's attention off the road, making them more prone to causing a T-bone accident.
Impaired Driving: Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol can significantly impair judgment, reaction times, and coordination, all of which can lead to accidents.
Poor Intersection Design: In some cases, the design of the intersection itself can be a contributing factor. Factors such as limited visibility, confusing signals, or lack of appropriate signage can lead to accidents.
Failing to Account for Weather Conditions: In adverse weather conditions, like rain, snow, fog, or ice, stopping distances increase and visibility decreases. Drivers who don't adjust their driving to these conditions are at a higher risk of causing an accident.
Faulty Traffic Lights: Malfunctioning traffic signals can confuse drivers and lead to accidents if both think they have the right-of-way.
High Speeds: Driving at high speeds reduces the reaction time available for a driver to respond to unexpected situations, such as another vehicle unexpectedly entering an intersection.
Inexperienced Drivers: Novice drivers might not be as adept at judging the speed of oncoming traffic or might be unfamiliar with certain traffic rules, making them more susceptible to causing or being involved in T-bone collisions.
Visibility Issues: Factors such as glare from the sun, obstructions near intersections (like overgrown vegetation or parked vehicles), or driving without headlights at dawn, dusk, or night can reduce visibility and increase the risk of side-impact collisions.

To reduce the risk of T-bone accidents, it's essential for drivers to be attentive, obey traffic laws, and adjust their driving based on road and weather conditions. Additionally, intersection improvements, better signage, and enhanced traffic light synchronization can help make intersections safer for all road users.

Types of Injuries

The most common type of injury sustained in a lateral-collision accident depends on which side of the vehicle the person is occupying. Those on the struck side commonly suffer chest injuries, followed by injuries to the lower extremities, head and the abdomen or pelvis. On the non-struck side, the most common injury type suffered is a head injury followed by injuries to the chest.

Factors that Influence Injury Types

There are several factors that can influence the type of injury sustained by victims of a lateral-collision accident. These factors include all of the following:

Position in the vehicle
As briefly outlined above, where the victim is sitting in the vehicle can significantly impact the type of injury received. Those that are sitting on the struck side of the vehicle are normally severely injured when they are hit by the door panel. On the non-struck side, severely injured people most often strike the person next to them and then the pillar by the front door, usually with their heads.

Age of the victim
Children are more likely to suffer significant injuries in lateral collisions than are older adults, and may be seriously injured even when the crash is a low-speed impact one. Those who are four or younger represent 25 percent of the significantly injured. Those aged between five and nine represented 19 percent, while children between 10 and 15 years old represented 27 percent.

Use of restraints
Many of the children who were severely injured were not appropriately restrained. For the youngest group, many were wearing adult lap belts without the use of appropriate child or booster seats for their age, height and weight. For people in general, failure to use lap and shoulder belts increase the risk of sustaining serious injury or even death in a lateral impact collision.

Importance of Seeking Prompt Medical and Legal Counsel Following Side Impact Collision

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a lateral impact collision, the emotional toll is often combined with significant and unexpected expenses and financial losses. When a loved one is killed, the families left behind are often left dealing with the grief and pain of their loved one’s loss as well as the financial losses. Through filing a personal injury or wrongful death civil lawsuit, you may be able to hold the at-fault driver personally liable for their negligence. In this way, you could recover damages for both your economic and noneconomic losses. To find out more, you may want to contact an experienced auto accident attorney if you or a loved one has suffered in such an accident. Steven M. Sweat, Personal Injury Lawyers, APC has successfully recovered monetary damages for victims of lateral impact auto crashes throughout Southern California including Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County and the Inland Empire. Call our injury helpline toll free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 866-966-5240 for a free contact us . We do not charge fees unless and until we recover money for you.