Washington residents lead busy lives, causing congested traffic and crowded intersections. Among the most common types of accidents in Washington are T-bone accidents, most often occurring in intersections. According to the National Safety Council, 44.8% of two-car collisions are T-bone accidents, causing around 8,700 deaths in a single recent year, including T-bone accident fatalities in Washington. If you were injured in a car accident, make sure to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer in Arlington.
What Is a T-Bone Accident?
T-bone accidents are also referred to as angle collisions or broadside accidents. They occur when the front end of one car hits another car on the side. A T-bone accident can occur at an intersection or when one car exits a parking lot, driveway, or side road. T-bone accidents can cause injuries to motorists in both cars, but often, the worst injuries occur to the occupants of the car hit broadside. This is due to the thinner structure of a car’s sides and doors compared to the front and back ends, which have the buffer zones created by the car’s engine and trunk.
What Causes Washington T-Bone Accidents?
A T-bone accident occurs when one driver fails to yield the right of way to a driver already in an intersection or lane of moving traffic. This can occur due to reasons such as the following:
- A speeding driver is unable to come to a stop at an intersection in time to avoid a collision with a vehicle already present in the intersection.
- An aggressive driver attempts to drive through an intersection without stopping
- A distracted driver doesn’t see a red light or stop sign and drives through an intersection
- A driver intentionally drives through a red light or stop sign
- A driver fails to yield the right-of-way when exiting a parking lot or side street
- An impaired driver accidentally or intentionally fails to yield the right-of-way
In some cases, a T-bone accident happens because of slippery road conditions or a driver’s failure to adjust their speed for inclement weather. Less commonly, T-bone accidents occur due to brake failures or a poorly designed intersection.
Understanding T-Bone Accident Injuries
T-bone accidents can cause serious or even catastrophic injuries to those inside the vehicle. This type of accident is one of the most common causes of injuries to backseat occupants, including children. A T-bone accident also causes injuries to a front seat occupant or driver, depending on which side of the car sustains the impact.
Common injuries in T-bone accidents include the following:
- Fractures, including of the limbs, ribs, hip, or pelvis
- Soft-tissue injuries like sprains, tendon injuries, and torn ligaments, including shoulder, wrist, knee, and ankle injuries
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- Head, facial, and dental injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal organ damage and internal bleeding
- Crush injuries
- Traumatic amputations
In the most tragic cases, a T-bone accident can cause fatal injuries. If a loved one died in a Washington T-bone accident, a close family member could recover compensation through a wrongful death claim.
What Damages Are Available In a Washington T-Bone Accident?
After a serious T-bone accident, expenses can quickly escalate at the same time that an injury victim cannot return to work due to medical procedures and recovery time. A catastrophic injury can impede an accident victim’s ability to return to work in their former capacity—or at all. These consequences of a T-bone accident become the damages in an accident claim. Common T-bone accident damages recovered include the following:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past and future income loss
- Diminished earning ability due to disability
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Catastrophic injury damages, which may apply in some cases, such as loss of limb, loss of one of the senses, scarring, organ loss, disfigurement, or diminished quality of life
Under Washington’s fault-based injury laws, an injury victim has the burden of proving the at-fault driver’s negligence and liability to recover full and fair compensation.
How Can a Washington Car Accident Lawyer From Wells Trumbull Help?
It may seem that liability is clear in a T-bone accident, but an insurance company has an incentive to assign a portion of fault to an injury victim to reduce the amount it has to pay out on the claim.
Instead of leaving your financial future in the hands of an insurance adjuster whose job is to protect company profits, call an injury attorney in Arlington from Wells Trumbull for assertive legal representation to protect your best interests throughout every step of the Wasghington car accident claim process. Contact us today.