One of the most common types of car accidents is also one of the most deadly—and the most dangerous type of accidents for back-seat passengers. Side impact accidents are also known as T-bone accidents, broadside accidents, or angle collisions, and occur most often in intersections.
It’s important for every driver to know what happens in side impact accidents that makes them so dangerous, and how an injury victim can recover compensation for their accident-related losses.
Understanding Injuries in Side Impact Car Accidents
Although rear-end or head-on collisions can also cause deadly injuries, especially at high speeds, there is some protection for motorists in these types of collisions because of the buffers provided by the front and rear ends of vehicles.
However, the side of a car is its thinnest point, offering little resistance to impact. Vehicle occupants often suffer severe blunt-force trauma during a side impact collision as the car’s structure collapses forcefully inward. Common injuries in side-impact accidents include the following:
- Bone fractures, including rib, hip, and limb fractures
- Soft-tissue injuries to the shoulders, knees, elbows, and ankles
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- Head, facial, and dental trauma
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Crush injuries
Motorists in the car that hits another vehicle broadside may also suffer injuries, but severe injuries are most common in the occupants of the car hit on the side. In the worst cases, a side impact accident causes a motorist’s wrongful death.
What Causes Most Side Impact Accidents In St. Louis?
Side-impact accidents commonly occur at intersections but may also happen when a vehicle exits a driveway or parking lot into moving traffic, striking another vehicle in a T-shaped collision. The most common causes of side-impact accidents include the following:
- Failing to yield the right of way at an intersection
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Leaving insufficient stopping time
- A rear-end collision pushes a vehicle into an intersection
- Intentionally running through a red light or stop sign
- Exiting a parking lot or driveway into the side of another vehicle on the roadway
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), angle collisions are the most common type of two-car accident, accounting for 44.8% of such collisions and causing about 8,700 deaths in a single recent year.
Proving Liability In St. Louis Side-Impact Accidents
The driver of the car that hits another vehicle broadside in a side-impact accident is most commonly the responsible party liable for damages. However, liability for an accident depends on the cause of the collision.
For instance, the car that hits another vehicle broadside in a collision isn’t at fault if they had the right of way and the other vehicle wasn’t supposed to be in the intersection. Under Missouri 537.765., the law of Contributory fault, all parties who cause or contribute to the cause of an accident may be held liable for an injury victim’s damages.
Proving liability requires evidence demonstrating the following:
- The at-fault party owed a legal duty of care to the injury victim
- They breached this duty of care through negligence
- The breach of duty directly caused the accident and injuries
- The injury victim suffered damages from the injury
Compensation for damages in a side-impact collision is typically paid to an injury victim from the at-fault party’s insurance company, and includes past and future medical expenses, lost earnings, and compensation for pain, suffering, and catastrophic injury.
How Can a St. Louis Car Accident Attorney Help After a Side Impact Accident?
A car accident is traumatic and frightening, especially when you or a loved one suffers severe injuries. Instead of taking on a challenging claim alone, when success requires compelling evidence and assertive negotiations to maximize your settlement, call or contact the Missouri car accident lawyers at Miller & Hine online so we can begin strategizing your recovery.