If you or a loved one suffered an injury in a T-bone crash, you may recover significant financial compensation. The legal requirement is to prove that someone else was to blame for the accident. Unfortunately, T-bone car accident claims are not straightforward because drivers may tell different stories to protect their self-interest.

You should contact a Augusta car accident lawyer immediately after a T-bone car accident. Waiting to make the call can make it much harder to get the financial compensation you deserve.

If the other driver’s insurance company proactively tries to compromise your legal rights, you can even end up on the wrong side of a liability determination. You need to work quickly to ensure that you tell your story and gather hard evidence to counteract any falsities the other driver may tell.

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T-Bone Crashes Do Not Happen Without a Driver’s Serious Mistake

T-bone accidents, also known as broadside crashes, are when the front of one car strikes the broad side of another, either on the driver or passenger side. These crashes almost always occur at an intersection and should never happen if both drivers follow traffic laws.

Traffic signals and stop signs exist to impose order on the road.

However, not every driver abides by traffic laws on the road. They may deliberately ignore traffic rules, such as not giving the right of way to the first car at a four-way stop sign. Alternatively, the driver may simply not be paying attention.

Distracted Driving Is a Common Cause of T-Bone Accidents

Distracted Driving Is a Common Cause of T-Bone Accidents

The increase in distracted driving has made T-bone accidents a much more serious issue. Drivers often look down at their phones when driving, and reading a text can take their attention from the road for as many as five seconds.

They may miss a red light or a signed intersection during that time. It takes a brief moment to cause a severe T-bone car accident, and the other unsuspecting driver may have their life changed because a motorist prioritized their cell phone over safety.

Running Red Lights Often Causes T-Bones

Running red lights is a leading cause of these dangerous collisions. When a driver runs a red light, they are essentially entering an intersection when they are not supposed to. This means they are crossing the path of other vehicles that have the right of way. As a result, the likelihood of a T-bone accident increases significantly.

Running red lights is not only illegal but also extremely dangerous. When someone else runs a red light and T-bones your car, they should be liable for all your losses.

Why T-Bone Crashes Are So Dangerous

T-bone car accidents are among the most dangerous types of crashes and have a higher fatality rate than rear-end and sideswipe crashes.

T-bone accidents make up roughly one in every ten car accidents, where the only rarer type of crash is a head-on collision. However, approximately one in every four car accident fatalities occurs in a T-bone car accident.

T-bone car accidents are hazardous because:

  • These accidents often occur at a high speed because both drivers proceed as if they have the right of way.
  • One car will have damage consistent with a head-on crash, while the other may get hit on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
  • Drivers are so startled that the other car is not where it is supposed to be that they do not have any ability to take evasive maneuvers.

Common T-Bone Car Accident Injuries

Although there are high fatality rates from T-bone crashes, many drivers survive the crash but suffer severe injuries.

Common T-Bone Car Accident Injuries

T-bone car accident injuries can include:

Any of these injuries alone can mean significant medical expenses and a lengthy rehabilitation period. Because of the severity of a T-bone crash, drivers may suffer more than one of these injuries.

Truth Contests and T-Bone Car Accidents

The problem with a T-bone crash is that both drivers may tell different stories about the crash. The driver responsible for the collision may describe an incorrect and self-serving story to protect themselves from what they know can be a significant liability.

When that happens, you must overcome the proverbial truth contest with evidence of your own.

You are always better off when there are witnesses who saw the accident because they can testify about what they have seen. Objective third-party witnesses have the most value to your case; they have no financial motivation or pre-existing relationship with you and are merely testifying about what they have seen.

How to Prove Fault in a T-Bone Car Accident Case

Who Is at Fault for a T-Bone Accident?

You may have a challenge when the accident happened at a quieter intersection, where nobody else may have seen the crash. While this case may be complicated, you can still get a settlement check using other evidence.

Your lawyer will conduct a more thorough investigation of the accident. They can use pictures from the scene that may give a more telling description of what happened. One of the two drivers may have dash cams that may have recorded the crash.

Sometimes, your attorney must use other measures to prove liability in the crash. Accident reconstruction experts are beneficial in a T-bone accident case. These professionals are often engineers who can use math and science principles to conclude what happened during the accident.

The other driver may also have an accident reconstruction expert presenting a different conclusion, so your attorney must work with an experienced professional.

T-Bone Car Accident Cases Can Easily Go Against You

Insurance companies will speak to each other to determine liability for the accident. In some cases, they cannot agree on which driver caused the crash and may need arbitration. An arbitrator will determine which driver was responsible for the accident.

In a T-bone accident claim:

  • The insurance company may deny your claim, saying that you did not provide enough evidence to show the other driver was to blame.
  • The insurance company may even blame you for the accident when the other driver was at fault.
  • The insurance company may assign you part of the blame for the accident, cutting your financial compensation.

Hiring an attorney right after the accident can lessen the chances that you may get a bad result from the claims process. Your attorney will investigate and gather evidence to prove your version of the facts.

The Insurance Companies Do Not Have the Last Word

Then, you can challenge the insurance companies when they have wrongfully denied your claim or assigned you some of the blame.

Insurance companies may administer the claims process but do not get the last say, and there are other options for seeking compensation for your accident. You can file a lawsuit against the responsible driver in court, either as a complete alternative to the claims process or when dissatisfied with the result. In any legal case, a jury is the decision maker.

If you filed a car accident lawsuit against the responsible driver, your lawyer can further develop your evidence as the case progresses.

When you reach the point of the discovery process, the other driver may need to sit for a deposition, where your attorney will question them under oath. Then, you will have a firm idea of how the other driver will testify at trial (they must testify consistent with what they said in their deposition).

Why You Need an Attorney in a T-Bone Car Accident Case

You need to have an attorney in any car accident case, especially a T-bone crash case, where there is a wide range of potential results.

Your attorney can protect you from being on the wrong side of an unfair result and fight to keep you from being wrongfully blamed for the accident.

Then, a car accident lawyer will advocate for you to receive as much compensation as possible for your injuries. Even if their driver was at fault, the insurance companies will not willingly pay you everything you deserve. Your attorney will need to extract complete and fair compensation from them.

Financial Compensation in a T-Bone Car Accident Case

You may recover the following damages in your car accident case:

Your damages will depend on the severity of your injuries and how much insurance coverage the other driver has. If they do not have an extensive enough insurance policy to compensate you fully, you must file a claim against your underinsured motorist coverage. You will still need to prove liability in the accident for your insurance company to settle your car accident claim favorably.

The insurance companies may offer you a settlement with little to do with your reality. Their settlement offer is rooted in their financial self-interest and how much money they can save at your expense.

Any dollar they owe you that they get away without paying you is one that they can add to their profits, satisfying their shareholders in the process.

How Your Lawyer Fights for You in the Car Accident Claims Process

Your attorney’s job is to protect your interests in the claims process. They can reject any low settlement offers (after consulting with you) and continue to negotiate for more money.

You have more leverage than you think in a car accident case, and your lawyer can exploit it to the maximum effect. Insurance companies have every reason to fear you.

The time to hire an experienced attorney is right after the accident. When liability is up in the air, like it often is in a T-bone accident, the other driver’s insurance company may be active early in trying to influence the determination, and you will be disadvantaged if you do not quickly lawyer up.

The insurance companies may try to talk to you, knowing that speaking with them is against your interests. The problem is that you may never even know you have no obligation to communicate with them, and you can only learn that information when you hire a lawyer.

Money is Not an Issue When Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer

While time is of the essence, you do not have to worry about how you will afford a car accident lawyer. The cost upfront to get a lawyer working for you is zero, although this does not mean a car accident lawyer will not charge you anything. However, their payment is entirely contingent on you winning your case, either by receiving a settlement or a jury verdict.

You only take on the obligation to pay your lawyer if you receive money from a car accident and do not have to pay them anything if you do not win your case.

Consult a Car Accident Attorney About Your T-bone Crash and Injuries

Jacque Hawk, Car Accident Attorney in Augusta
Jacque Hawk, Car Accident Lawyer

After a T-bone accident, consult a car accident attorney as soon as possible. T-bone accidents can result in serious injuries and extensive property damage, and the legal complexities can overwhelm you.

When you consult a car accident attorney, they will review the details of your T-bone accident and injuries. They will thoroughly investigate the accident, gather evidence, and build a strong case on your behalf. They will also handle all communications with insurance companies, ensuring that your rights are protected and that you receive fair compensation for medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering.

Don’t wait to seek legal advice from personal injury attorney if you’ve suffered an injury in a T-bone accident.