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 label describes how the vehicles met, but it does not settle who was at fault. An auto accident lawyer reviewing these crashes will usually start with the sequence of events, from each car's speed to the signals that controlled traffic.
What causes rear-end collisions
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 notes 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 accident attorney 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 do not work or a vehicle backing up may shift part or all of the fault. In a chain-reaction crash, every impact is its own 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 the head snapping back and forth. Symptoms https://rylanlnum164.zenbloomer.com/posts/liability-in-auto-accident-claims-explained 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, citing minor vehicle damage. Medical records and photos of both vehicles help answer that argument, along with imaging such as an MRI when a doctor orders one.
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. Common causes include running a red light or a stop sign and failing to yield on a left turn. 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.
These crashes often turn on who had the right of way. Evidence can include 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 store speed and braking data from the seconds before impact. A car crash lawyer will usually try to collect video quickly, 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 use some version of comparative negligence, which reduces a recovery by the injured person's percentage of fault. In states with modified comparative negligence, a person whose fault reaches 50 or 51 percent, depending on the state, may be barred from recovery, while pure comparative negligence allows a reduced recovery at any percentage of fault. A small number of jurisdictions still follow contributory negligence, which can bar recovery for any fault at all. A motor vehicle accident attorney 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 is general information and not legal advice, and it cannot predict the outcome of any claim.