When you pass a side street or cross through an intersection legally, you have every right to expect that someone will not ignore your right of way and come cutting through. If someone does cut through an intersection or merge without respecting the rules of the road, they may very well cause a t-bone accident. If you are involved in a t-bone accident in Jacksonville that someone else caused, you have a right to seek compensation for your injuries and damages that you have suffered as a result of the crash.
1-800-Injured is an attorney and medical referral service. After an accident, you will need to handle a few important steps early on, and doing them alone can be overwhelming. However, the process of finding an attorney to help you through these processes can be equally overwhelming, which is why we are happy to provide victims of personal injuries with access to our referral service so that they can connect with an attorney with ease.
Read more below about t-bone accidents in Jacksonville, and contact us now to get connected with an attorney today.
How Are T-Bone Accidents Caused?
T-bone accidents are also known as side-impact crashes, and they happen when one car drives headfirst into the side of another car. For these accidents to happen, the cars must be moving in perpendicular directions, usually through an intersection, coming out of a side street, or when a vehicle makes a sudden turn and collides with another vehicle.
Because of the nature of the accident, they are most commonly found at intersections, but there are numerous ways that they can take place in many other situations as well. Depending on a multitude of factors, it may be either the driver who caused the accident or the driver who is the victim who is struck on the side of the vehicle, a dangerous area to be struck due to the lack of structural support and protection as opposed to the front and rear of a vehicle.
There are many possible causes of these accidents, much like there are many possible causes of all sorts of accidents. Some of the most common causes of t-bone accidents, though, include the following:
Distracted Driving
When most people hear the term “distracted driving,” the first thing that comes to mind is someone sending text messages or staring at their smartphone in traffic. While this is unfortunately one of the most common examples of distracted driving, there are many ways that a driver can lose focus of the road without their phone. Regardless of how they were distracted, a driver can miss a stop or yield sign, red light, or other traffic signs meant to warn them to slow down, and they can drive head-on into the side of a car legally passing through the intersection.
Drunk Driving
As with distracted driving, drunk driving causes a driver to lose their ability to pay attention to traffic signs and other warnings that would otherwise indicate that they needed to slow down, or stop entirely. If you suspect that the person you were in a t-bone accident within Jacksonville, make sure that you tell the 911 operator about your suspicions or the officer that arrives on the scene. A DUI citation will play an important part in your claims process in the future.
Brake Failure
Either due to a recalled part or improper maintenance, brake failure is an extremely dangerous thing to deal with, especially when approaching an intersection or coming towards a perpendicular road. Vehicles have emergency brakes specifically for these situations, but oftentimes, especially in older vehicles where brake failure is a greater risk, these backup brakes may also fail.
Speeding
Speed limits are there for a reason, but too often, people decide that they know better than the people who planned the roadways and decide to drive at unsafe speeds. Speed, especially when paired with unexpected obstacles or traffic patterns, can lead to disaster. If a driver is approaching an intersection at high speed and does not realize until too late, it can be nearly impossible for them to come to a complete stop in time to avoid an accident.
Working With a Lawyer After a T-Bone Collision
After the dust settles, injuries are treated, and it comes time to figure out what happens next, one of the most important steps that you can take is to partner with an attorney who can help to guide you through this process with as little stress as possible. Not only will they be able to give you a clear path forward, but they will be able to handle all of these steps for you so that you can focus on recovering from your personal injuries, getting your life back on track, and getting back to work.
Insurance companies have spent decades honing their processes to limit claimants’ awards, and your situation will be no different. The proven way to get the money that you truly deserve is to hire an attorney, and 1-800-Injured is here to help you connect with one as soon as possible.