TL;DR

  • T-bone or side-impact collisions happen when one vehicle strikes another perpendicularly and often cause severe injuries.
  • Common causes include failure to yield, running red lights or stop signs, distracted driving, and impairment.
  • These crashes can trigger dangerous secondary impacts, increasing the risk of catastrophic injuries and rollover accidents.
  • Injuries are often severe because the point of impact is extremely close to the driver and passengers.
  • If you’re hurt in a T-bone or left-turn accident, an experienced car accident attorney can help evaluate your case and protect your rights.

Side impact collisions, commonly known as “T-bone accidents,” can happen in a number of different situations. T-bone accidents involve the collision of one vehicle into another vehicle at a perpendicular angle. They are uniquely dangerous and can result in serious injuries. In some cases, such accidents occur when a driver making a left turn fails to yield, leading to questions about who is at fault in a left-turn accident.

Common Causes of T-bone Accidents

T-bone accidents can be caused by several different factors, including:

  • Failure to yield to other vehicles at a stop sign
  • Running through a red light or a stop sign
  • Failure to yield while making a right-hand or left-hand turn
  • Failing to yield to pedestrians and bicyclists
  • Driving distracted
  • Driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol

T-bone accidents can also result in secondary collisions. After being hit initially in a T-bone collision, a vehicle can be knocked into another oncoming vehicle. If this happens multiple times, the injuries can be catastrophic.

Serious Injuries

The possibility of secondary impacts is what makes T-bone accidents particularly dangerous. The force of a T-bone collision can cause a vehicle to spin out of control and hit other vehicles and even objects. Once a vehicle is out of control, the occupants face the risk of serious injury, which may lead to a soft tissue injury car accident settlement depending on the nature and severity of the harm. If the force of the collision is strong enough, the vehicle may even roll over completely.

Another reason T-bone collisions can result in such serious injuries is because of the proximity between the impact point and the driver and passenger of the broadsided vehicle. There is much more distance between you and the front and back bumper of the car, but very little distance between you and the door of your car. This translates into much less protection in a T-boned while turning left accident than in a head-on or rear-end collision. Although many vehicles have side-impact airbags and crumple zones that are designed to absorb the impact from the side, a fast-moving car or truck that hits the vehicle a foot away from the driver or passenger can cause catastrophic injuries. 

Contact an Experienced Car Accident Attorney

If you’ve been injured in a T-bone accident, you should consider having your case evaluated by an experienced car accident attorney. At Abrahamson & Uiterwyk, we have over 35 Years of experience handling car accident cases. Contact one of our Florida left-turn accident lawyers online or call us at 800-538-4878 to set up your free, no-obligation consultation today. 

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