Any type of accident can be a major disruption to a victim’s life. Even a seemingly minor accident like a low-speed sideswipe can lead to significant injuries that can cause problems for years to come. As the name implies, a sideswipe accident is an accident between two vehicles (or a single vehicle and an obstacle) where the sides of the vehicles scrape along each other.
Sideswipe accidents result from a car colliding with another vehicle that is going in the same direction. They typically occur when a vehicle turns into the path of oncoming traffic, or when two vehicles collide while one is attempting to pass another vehicle. Depending on a variety of factors, one vehicle may be pushed into oncoming traffic, leading to a secondary, head-on collision that can cause further damage and more serious injuries; likewise, a vehicle can be pushed onto a sidewalk or bike lane during a sideswipe accident and may collide with pedestrians, cyclists, runners, or others.
No matter how minor or major your sideswipe accident may have been; the reality is that partnering with an attorney is one of the smartest decisions you can make — especially if someone else caused the crash. When filing a claim against another driver’s insurance policy, the insurance adjuster assigned to your claim will be focused almost solely on settling your claim as quickly and inexpensively as possible, with little regard to how this low settlement will negatively impact your life in the future.
Contact 1-800-Injured To Connect With a Personal Injury Attorney With Ease
1-800-Injured is an attorney and medical referral service. If you have been hurt, or a loved one has been passed away in a sideswipe accident that someone else caused, then you deserve to be fairly compensated for ALL of the damages and impacts you have suffered — not just the money the insurance company hopes to pay.
One way to fight for the money you rightfully deserve is by partnering with an experienced car accident attorney who will guide you through the claims process, calculate the damages you are rightfully owed, and will negotiate aggressively on your behalf to reach a settlement agreement. If no settlement is agreed upon, your attorney will be prepared to move forward with a lawsuit.
Contact 1-800-Injured as soon as possible to be connected with a personal injury attorney for a free consultation. Read more below to get a better sense of how sideswipe accidents can impact a victim’s life, and request your consultation right away.
How Do Sideswipe Accidents Happen?
Sideswipe accidents can happen when a vehicle cuts into oncoming traffic, such as at an intersection. Drivers sometimes fail to notice that oncoming cars are turning and they hit their brakes too soon or make a sudden lane change to the left or right.
Distracted Driving
One of the biggest causes of sideswipe accidents is distracted driving. When drivers become distracted by cell phones, GPS devices, and other passengers in the car, they take their eyes off the road for too long and may not notice that oncoming traffic has made a turn and may hit them.
Vehicle Failures
When someone is safely operating a vehicle, and there is a mechanical failure such as a tire blowout, steering issue, or other malfunction, they may cause a sideswipe accident through no fault of their own. In these instances, victims may need to look beyond the driver’s insurance policy to seek compensation for their damages.
Speed
When a driver ignores a speed limit, they must have a faster reaction time and more control over their vehicle to ensure that they can safely avoid unexpected hazards and changes to road conditions. Something like a child running into the road may lead to a driver swerving hard, sideswiping another vehicle, and possibly causing further collisions due to their initial actions.
Weather Conditions
Wet or icy roads, fog, and even wind can all cause a driver to lose control of their vehicle and drift into the side of another car on the road. The at-fault driver’s insurance company may attempt to use the weather as a reason to offset some of the blame onto you and reduce their financial liability, but your attorney will fight to ensure that you are fairly compensated.
Drunk Driving
When someone makes the dangerous and reckless decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, they put everyone else on the road at risk of serious or fatal injuries. An impaired driver may unknowingly drift into another lane and sideswipe another vehicle or may sideswipe vehicles that are parallel parked along the road.
Common Injuries From Sideswipe Accidents
The following are just a few examples of the many different types of injuries that are commonly sustained in these accidents. Whether or not your injuries are listed below, you will be able to discuss them in detail with an attorney during your free consultation.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a common type of neck injury caused by a sudden movement back and forth, side to side, or rotationally. This causes the ligaments (fibers joining bones together) as well as muscles and tendons in your neck to stretch beyond their capacity, resulting in pain, stiffness, and swelling.
Whiplash is not often immediately apparent, which is why it is so important not to make any statements about your condition if you believe that you are uninjured at the scene of an accident.
Whiplash can occur within a fraction of a second after impact, making it difficult for the body to protect itself through bracing or stabilizing movements.
Crushing Injuries
If a vehicle is sideswiped while a person has their arm hanging out the window on the side of impact, they may suffer severe crushing injuries or even need to amputate the limb. The loss of a limb, or permanent injuries due to crushing, can have significant financial and emotional impacts that must be accounted for during your claim.
Lacerations
Lacerations in a car accident are usually a result of broken glass from the windshield. Breaking up into millions of tiny pieces, it can become a serious hazard. Other times, lacerations occur because the victim strikes an interior part of the vehicle, such as a window pillar or door frame.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries are common in car accidents, and in most cases, are caused by the head striking an object inside the vehicle or being thrown around. It can also happen if your body is crushed against the car’s interior surface.
