The front of a car colliding with the side of another vehicle is a nightmare scenario for everyone involved. These “T-bone” accidents are much more likely to cause serious injuries or deaths, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports side-impact collisions caused about 22 percent of all passenger car occupant deaths nationwide in one recent year. Accident victims lucky enough to survive a T-bone car accident face a long recovery, particularly if they don’t have the financial resources to cover their medical bills and other needs.

The New Braunfels, TX T-bone car accident attorneys at Burch Law Firm can help you seek fair compensation for your injuries and other losses from the collision. Our T-bone accident lawyers have decades of legal experience. We handle all the legal work in your case so you can focus on getting better and rebuilding your life. Call us today or complete our contact form for a free consultation.

How Can a T-Bone Car Accident Lawyer Help After a Crash?

Our New Braunfels T-bone car accident lawyers have the drive, knowledge, and experience to help you recover maximum compensation after a car crash. We can investigate the accident to determine who’s liable for your injuries and document your losses. From there, we file an insurance claim against the liable parties and represent you in settlement negotiations with the insurance company. If the liable parties won’t agree to a fair settlement, we can file a lawsuit and represent you in court. While we’re fighting on your behalf, you can concentrate on your medical treatments, as you’ll know you have a capable legal team protecting your rights.

What Is a T-Bone Accident?

A T-bone collision gets its name from the “T” shape that forms when the front of one vehicle strikes the side of a second car. Also called side-impact crashes, T-bone collisions are much more likely to cause catastrophic or fatal injuries than other motor vehicle accidents. These devastating injuries can affect injured crash victims for years, who may need ongoing medical treatment and often develop permanent disabilities.

Why Are T-Bone Accidents So Dangerous?

Some factors that make T-bone accidents in New Braunfels so dangerous include:

  • High speeds – T-bone crashes often occur at traffic lights or intersections because drivers don’t yield the right-of-way when required. The faster a car is moving when it hits something, the harder the impact, leading to a higher chance of severe injuries or fatalities.
  • Limited protection for drivers and passengers – Crumple zones in the front and rear of cars absorb much of the force from head-on or rear-end collisions. By contrast, drivers and passengers in cars struck from the side have much less protection, so they absorb more of the impact force from the collision.
  • Chain-reaction crashes and rollovers – A T-bone collision at a busy intersection can cause the car hit from the side to spin out and collide with other vehicles, leading to a chain-reaction crash. Similarly, a strong impact from the side can cause a car to flip and roll, a particularly dangerous scenario for anyone inside the vehicle.

Common Causes of T-Bone Crashes

Most T-bone crashes in New Braunfels occur because a driver acted negligently, meaning they didn’t follow traffic laws or failed to take reasonable precautions to avoid causing the collision. Some examples of driver negligence that can cause a T-bone crash include:

  • Drivers failing to yield the right-of-way – When drivers don’t stop and yield at traffic lights, stop signs, or yield signs even though traffic laws say they should, they can collide with other vehicles traveling through the intersection from a different direction.
  • Speeding – Drivers who speed may not have enough room to stop safely at an intersection or in time to prevent striking cars coming from the left or right.
  • Distracted driving – Drivers who are talking on the phone, texting, or otherwise distracted may not realize they’ve entered an intersection until they collide with another car.
  • Impaired driving – Drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs have longer reaction times and impaired judgment. They are also more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors. These effects all make a T-bone accident more likely, particularly if the impaired driver doesn’t realize they need to stop at an intersection.

Determining Fault for a T-Bone Wreck

The driver who strikes the side of another vehicle with their car is usually liable for a T-bone accident, though not always. For example, if a drunk driver runs a red light and hits the side of another car coming from a different direction, they would be liable for the accident. The same principle would likely be true for a distracted or speeding driver who couldn’t stop in time to avoid a crash.

There are some situations where the driver T-boned in a car accident might be liable for the crash. For instance, if a driver at an intersection makes an unsafe turn without checking for cars coming toward them, another car could hit the turning driver and cause a crash. Because the turning driver in this scenario didn’t make sure they could turn safely, they would likely be liable for the crash.

Some types of evidence that can help prove fault for a T-bone accident include:

  • Traffic camera footage – Footage from traffic cameras could show if the driver was distracted or failed to stop at the intersection even though they didn’t have the right-of-way.
  • Eyewitness accounts – Testimony from eyewitnesses can reveal whether a driver was impaired, distracted, or otherwise negligent. For example, someone might have seen the driver looking at their phone before the crash.
  • Expert analysis – Accident reconstruction specialists can examine physical evidence from the accident scene to determine precisely how the crash occurred. For instance, experts might look at skid marks left at the scene to determine when a driver applied the brakes, which could indicate whether they were paying attention at the intersection.

Common Injuries in T-Bone Accidents

Common T-bone accident injuries in New Braunfels include:

  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Spinal cord injuries, including paralysis
  • Broken bones
  • Crushed, severed, or amputated limbs
  • Internal bleeding
  • Internal organ injuries
  • PTSD and other mental health conditions

Contact Our Law Firm for a Free Consultation After a T-Bone Collision

Burch Law Firm stands ready to provide the aggressive, comprehensive legal representation you need after a T-bone accident. Call us today or complete our contact form for a free consultation.