What a Car Accident Lawyer Looks at After a Rear-End or T-Bone Crash
Rear-end and T-bone collisions come up again and again in injury claims. The label describes how the vehicles met, but it does not settle who was at fault. A car accident attorney looking at either type of crash usually begins with the sequence of events, from the speed of each car to the signals that controlled the intersection.
How rear-end collisions happen
Many state traffic codes prohibit following another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, with attention to the speed of traffic and the condition of the road. Distracted driving is a common factor. NHTSA explains that sending or reading a text takes a driver's eyes off the road for 5 seconds, which at 55 mph is like driving the length of a football field with eyes closed. A car crash lawyer may ask for the other driver's phone records when distraction is suspected.
The trailing driver is often found at fault in a rear-end crash, yet that result is not automatic. A car that cuts in and brakes suddenly, brake lights that do not work or a vehicle backing up can shift some or all of the fault. In a multi-vehicle pileup, every impact is its own event, and a middle vehicle pushed forward may not be responsible for the second impact.
Neck injuries after a rear-end crash
Rear-end impacts are often linked to whiplash, a neck injury caused by a rapid back-and-forth movement of the head. Symptoms such as neck pain and headaches may not appear until hours after the crash, which is one reason prompt medical care matters. Insurers sometimes dispute injury claims from low-speed rear-end crashes, pointing to light vehicle damage. Photos of both cars and the medical records help respond to that argument, together with imaging such as an MRI when a doctor orders it.
Why side-impact crashes happen
In a T-bone crash, the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another, most often at an intersection. Common causes include running a red light or a stop sign and failing to yield on a left turn. A car's sides have less space to absorb crash forces than its front or rear, which is why the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rates side protection in a separate side-impact crash test. People seated on the struck side can suffer serious injuries such as traumatic brain injury or pelvic fractures.
Disputes in these crashes often come down to who had the right of way. Useful evidence includes signal timing records, intersection camera video, nearby business surveillance footage, dashcam video and witness statements, as well as the event data recorder (EDR) in each car, which may https://deanpatq247.solsticebrief.com/posts/police-reports-dashcam-video-and-car-accident-evidence store speed and braking data from the seconds before impact. A car accident lawyer typically moves quickly to collect video, since many systems overwrite footage within days or weeks.
When both drivers share fault
Fault is often shared. Most states apply some form of comparative negligence, which lowers a recovery by the injured person's share of fault. Under modified comparative negligence, a person found at least 50 or 51 percent at fault, depending on the state, may recover nothing, while pure comparative negligence allows a reduced recovery at any percentage of fault. A few jurisdictions still apply contributory negligence, which can bar recovery for any fault at all. An automobile accident lawyer will know which rule applies in the state where the crash happened.
Deadlines and general information
Every state sets its own statute of limitations for injury claims, and claims involving a government vehicle or agency can require written notice much sooner. This article is general information, not legal advice, and no article can predict how a claim will turn out.