What a Car Accident Attorney 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 name of the crash describes how the vehicles met, but it does not settle who was at fault. A car accident attorney looking at either type of crash will usually start with the sequence of events, from the speed of each car to the signals that controlled the intersection.
What causes rear-end collisions
Many state traffic codes prohibit following another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, taking into account 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 https://kameronprdp877.unionquill.com/posts/which-insurance-pays-after-a-car-accident-uninsured-motorist-pip-and-medpay field with eyes closed. A car crash lawyer may ask for the other driver's phone records when distraction is suspected.
In many rear-end crashes the trailing driver is found at fault, but that is not automatic. A car that cuts in and brakes suddenly, brake lights that fail or a vehicle backing up may shift part or all of the fault. In a chain-reaction crash, each impact is a separate event, and a middle car pushed into the car ahead may not be at fault for that 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. Insurance companies sometimes challenge injury claims after low-speed rear-end crashes, pointing to light vehicle damage. Medical records and photos of both vehicles help answer that argument, together with imaging such as an MRI when a doctor orders it.
What causes T-bone crashes
A T-bone collision happens when the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another, most often at an intersection. Typical causes include failing to yield on a left turn and running a red light or a stop sign. The sides of a car have less room to absorb crash forces than the 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, plus the event data recorder (EDR) in each car, which may hold speed and braking data from the seconds before the crash. A car crash lawyer typically moves quickly to collect video, because many systems record over old footage within days or weeks.
When both drivers share fault
Fault is not always all or nothing. 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 level of fault. A small number of jurisdictions still follow contributory negligence, which can bar recovery for even slight fault. An automobile accident lawyer will know which rule applies in the state where the crash happened.
A note on deadlines
Each 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 is general information and not legal advice, and no article can predict how a claim will turn out.