Who Is Liable for A T-Bone Accident in Texas?
Under the principle of comparative fault applied to civil cases in the state of Texas, any number of parties may share responsibility for a T-bone accident. The driver, the vehicle’s manufacturer, or the at-fault's employer could all share a portion of the blame and financial responsibility. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding your Houston T-bone collision, evidence is crucial for determining fault. Document as much as is safely possible following the crash by taking pictures, recording videos, and collecting eyewitness statements and contact information.
If you were t-boned in an auto accident in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, or beyond, hire Texas best car accident lawyers. Niles Sneed is an experienced Texas T-bone Accident Lawyer that has helped hundreds of auto accident victims secure maximum compensation for their injuries. Our personal injury attorneys know how to gather the proper evidence to show that other party caused the side-impact collision. They can then go after the responsible party and their insurer on your behalf, ensuring that you get the compensation you deserve. If you find yourself involved in a T-bone collision, the first step is to seek our medical attention. The second step is to schedule a consultation with one of our car accident attorneys.
Niles Sneed will help you hold the distracted driver liable for in your t-bone collision accident. As always, consultations are always free and you owe us nothing until we end
Do I have a right to sue if I was t-boned in an auto accident?
Yes, under Texas law, t-bone collisions, along with any other form of auto accident allow the victim to pursue legal compensation. An experienced Houston car accident attorney is needed to analyze how the motor vehicle accident occurred in order determine the extent of liability. In order to bring a personal injury lawsuit, an experienced attorney must show: a) that you had few or no symptoms of injury to your prior to the accident or b) that the injuries you suffered were worsened by the accident. The latter injury scenario is known as aggravation or exacerbation of a pre-existing condition, for which you can also receive full compensation under Texas law depending on the treatment required for the injuries and how detailed the medical records evidence a change in symptoms.
An experienced automobile accident lawyer will also assist you in understanding the scope of your recovery options, including how Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage and Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist benefits. Oftentimes, car accident victims are misinformed of their rights by their own insurance company, and this occurs even when dealing with GEICO, State Farm, and any other large insurance company. Our Auto Accident Lawyers can review the facts of your accident and the applicable insurance policies to details your options of relief. Our law firm has also created this page to provide further information of how to properly navigate a T-bone collision accident claim here in Texas.
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Common causes of T-bone collisions in in Texas auto accidents
Like most car accidents here in Texas, T-bone, or "side impact" accidents, usually occur because one or more drivers were engaged in negligent or unsafe driving activities at the time of the accident. Among the most common causes of side-impact accidents include:
Drunk or intoxicated drivers
Broken or failing stop lights
Driving while under unsafe medications
Speeding vehicles
Drivers trailing too closely
Texting while driving collisions
Cell phone use while driving
Adjusting radio or other devices
Distracted driving accidents
Running a red light
Failing to yield the right-of-way
Construction
There are many other contributing factors that cause a driver to put you at risk of a broadside accident here in Texas. Auto accident victims involved in these sorts of car accident collisions can sustain serious injury and even death.
T-bone auto accident statistics
As of January 1, 2021, research shows that t-bone accidents account for around 12% percent of all traffic accidents in the United States each year and around 20% percent of all fatal motor vehicle accidents. According to the National Transportation Highway Safety Administration, about 8,000 auto accident victims lose their lives each year as the result of a t-bone accident.
Who else can be held liable for a T-bone accident in Texas?
T-bone accidents happen when the front of one car collides with the side of another. The two vehicles then form a “T.” T-bone accidents happen at intersections when one driver runs a stop sign or a red-light or misjudges a green light, but they can also occur on highways when a driver loses control of their vehicle. They may also happen in parking lots: for example if one driver strikes another backing out of a parking space. Oftentimes there are several parties at-fault in a T-bone collision. A knowledgeable personal injury lawyer can evaluate your case in order to determine liability.
Here are a few of the parties they may consider:
Drivers Involved in the Accident - Any of the drivers involved in a T-bone collision might share fault. If a driver runs a red light and causes an accident, then they’re at fault, regardless of whether they struck or were struck by the other driver. Drivers involved in a T-bone accident may dispute who had the right of way. A personal injury lawyer can defend you from such disputes by collecting key evidence and prove that you were not at fault. any type of car accident, including T-bone collisions, may dispute who had the right of way.
A Vehicle’s Manufacturer - When one or more of the cars in a T-bone collision contains defective parts that contributed to the collision--bad brakes, for example, or a sticky accelerator--the manufacturer of the vehicle may bear full or partial responsibility for damages resulting from the accident. Product liability laws in many stats allow the victims of collisions to hold manufacturers accountable for the harm caused by defective products. A car accident attorney can investigate the condition of the cars involved in the collision to determine if their manufacturer shares in the liability.
Another Driver Uninvolved in the Accident - Sometimes, the driver that causes a T-bone collision manages to avoid the accident itself. A driver that makes an illegal left turn, for example, may cause an oncoming car to swerve and strike a third vehicle. The negligent driver that started the chain of events leading to the crash holds responsibility even though they were not involved in the accident itself. The driver that causes an accident has a legal responsibility to remain on the scene. That doesn’t mean they will. Collecting eyewitness information and photographic documentation can help your attorney prove liability even when the responsible party may not have remained on the scene.
Which injuries commonly occur in T-bone accidents?
In a T-bone collision, the injuries that result largely depend on the speed at which the vehicles where traveling, the direction in which the injured driver or passenger was facing, whether seat belts were restraining the victim, and whether the airbags deployed in the car crash. Similar to head-on collision and pedestrian accidents, T-bone collisions are usually forceful impacts and cause some or multiple of the following physical injuries:
Whiplash - Around 3 million Americans suffer whiplash injuries in car accidents each year. Of these 3 million cases, about half are diagnosed with chronic pain from the whiplash or whip effect. Although the pain normally dissipates, in approximately 300,000 cases the jerking effect suffered by the neck and spine causes disabling injuries.
Shoulder or Rotator Cuff Injuries - Side-impact car accidents also cause shoulder or rotator cuff strain or tearing forces on the many tendons and muscle gatherings in the joint or "ball" of the shoulder. Oftentimes the side airbags deployed and directly impacts the rotator-cuff area, other times the seat belt locking or tension while gripping the steering wheel causes the shoulder to ensure immense force.
Crush Injury Lawyer - The force of a serious car accident also causes the body to experience blunt force trauma, which can cause crush syndrome to various bones, ligaments, or muscle groups. Crush syndrome is how the body's internal structures respond after being crushed, which can include bone breaks or fractures, organ dysfunction, skin injury and swelling, paralysis, or acute lung injuries.
Brain Injuries - A closed head injury, or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), occurs in car accidents through contusion or a forceful impact to the head from the steering wheel, an airbag, or the head rest. However, car accident victims can also suffer a head injury from the rotation of the vehicle after the crash, or a blunt force head injury from the brain suddenly jerking within the skull. Head injuries and concussion are injuries are not easy to identify, so hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer that specializes in head trauma is necessary. For this reason, you need personal injury firm that specializes in head trauma.
Broken Bones and fractures - In T-bone collisions the most common bones are to the spinal column (neck and back), pelvic area, legs, head, and sternum (breast plate). Although an MRI is required to determine ligament tears, bulging disks or herniated disk, and x-ray detects broken bones and fractures after an accident and is performed at any emergency facility.
Additional injuries that may result from t-bone collision in Texas includes, spinal cord injuries, whiplash, amputations, PTSD, and scarring injuries.
If you need a Texas lawyer that handles t-bone and side-impact collisions, call Niles Sneed. Niles Sneed is a personal injury lawyer who regularly secures full compensation for victims of T-bone collisions. Niles understands how these auto accidents are caused and can assist you or a loved you in obtaining full compensation for your injuries.
How much does it cost to hire a T-bone accident lawyer?
Although we can't speak for others, at Sneed|Mitchell LLP, we operate on a strict policy: our clients owe us nothing until we are victorious on their cases. We also ensure that if our client requires a referral to a medical facility, that the physical also doesn't charge a fee until the case is resolved. When our Texas auto accident lawyers take on your case, we are dedicated helping you restore your life and want you to focus on healing while we fight for you.
Our years as personal injury attorneys and our experience litigating auto insurance claims against with insurance companies can be of great benefit to you. Whether you were involved in a T-bone collision, Uber or Lyft accident, commercial accident, or pedestrians accident while joggers, bicyclists, or child, we can help, and our contingency fee model never changes.
What must be proven to receive compensation in a T-bone accident?
When bringing a claim against a negligent driver here in Texas, you must establish a right to your obtain compensation for your injuries. To prove liability and that the other driver was at-fault in the T-bone collision, you must successfully demonstrate:
The other motorists failed to safely follow the rules of the road
The other driver’s caused the T-bone collision to occur
You were physically hurt by the other driver's unsafe actions
If you contributed to causing the accident in some way, Texas law allows you to still receive compensation related to your percentage of fault as long as you are not found more liable than the other party. Here in Texas, you can't be more than 50% at-fault in causing the T-bone collision. Oftentimes, police officers assess fault and the contributing factors in the Texas Crash Report (CR-3 Reports). Personal Injury Lawyers and insurance adjusters later use these reports, along with witness statements, camera footage, and additional evidence to apportion fault.
What forms of compensation is recoverable after a T-bone accidents in Texas?
T-bone collision often place immense emotional and financial strain of the car accident victim. When fighting for compensation and this includes economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are as follows:
Hospital costs
Physician bills
Rehabilitation needs
Custom medical tools
Procedure and surgical costs
Lost wages
Economic impacts
Property damage and replacement
Disability
Non-economic damages can include:
Pain and suffering
Emotional trauma
Loss of consortium damages
Loss of enjoyment
Wrongful death expenses, including funeral and burial costs
In certain Texas auto accident cases, such as those involving commercial vehicles and 18-wheelers, punitive damages are also available. Punitive damages, also called "exemplary damages" are damages meant to financially punish bad behavior and discourage the company from engaging in similar actions moving forward. Punitive damages not available in every situation, but an experienced Texas personal auto accident attorney can evaluate the claim and inform you of the types of compensation available in your situation.
What should I do after a T-bone collision in Texas?
The actions you take after experiencing a T-bone collision automobile accident in Texas can greatly effect your right to recover full compensation for your damages. Even in a minor car accident that only caused damage to the vehicle, you still need to follow these basic steps so your right to full compensation is protected:
Check to see if you were injured or feel any new sensations after the crash.
Call 911 so emergency medical personal can assess the injuries at the scene.
Contacting the police department will also allow the officer to assess fault.
If possible, photograph the scene before any of the vehicles are moved.
Do not admit fault to anyone at the scene.
Gather the other drivers, name, phone number, and insurance information.
Collect the officer's name and badge number at the scene.
Collect the contact information of ant witnesses.
Visit an emergency room or medical facility if you feel any discomfort.
Hire an auto accident attorney from Sneed|Mitchell LLP to represent your claim against all of the insurance companies involved.
Experienced T-Bone Accident Lawyers of Texas
Our Texas automobile accident attorneys can help accident victims after a collision in Houston, Texas. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a T-bone collision, you have legal options. Call Sneed|Mitchell LLP for a free case evaluation. We proudly serve various communities in Texas, including Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Corpus Christi.
Attorney Niles Sneed specializes in auto accident injury claims and understands that pursuing legal action following can quickly become a complex matter. But you deserve justice as much as anyone else, and our Texas personal injury attorneys have the expertise and the resources to assist you in obtaining full compensation. Call attorney Niles Sneed today at 866-434-0014 for a free and confidential consultation.
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