Side impact collisions occur when your vehicle gets hit from the side by another vehicle. Often, a car accident of this nature occurs at red lights and stop signs and are caused by motorists attempting to “beat the light” and ignore the traffic signal. This consequently results in a “T-bone” crash where the front of their vehicle strikes your side. Unfortunately, a few seconds is usually all it takes to wreck a car and destroy a person’s life. Side impact collisions frequently result in severe injuries and sometimes even death.
If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of a side-impact collision, you are in the right to gain compensation. The Law Place has a Tampa car accident lawyer for you. You or a loved one should not have to suffer because of someone else’s reckless driving.
Contact us today at The Law Place for a free consultation. Our Florida based law firm covers Tampa Bay, call us on 941-444-4444 to get started.
Side-Impact Collision Statistics
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration collects the data about these types of collisions, and that data is shocking. The number of deaths of children caused by T-bone collisions has gone up by 20 percent in the last 20 years. Of the 9,000 fatalities recorded in one year, 29 percent of those fatalities were associated with a side-impact collision. The increase in these accidents has been attributed to increased speed and more SUVs on the road.
Due to the increase in these kinds of car accidents and the serious injuries that occur as a result. Car manufacturers have improved safety features over time, and new generations of vehicles tend to be safer are proven to prevent a more serious car accident. These improvements include steel bars that are molded into the doorframe and side airbags that can buffer the collision and have a positive impact on protecting those inside the vehicle.
Even though current regulations don’t require side airbags, many manufacturers understand the importance of added safety features and have made side airbags standard on most of their models. However, many drivers on the roads of Florida still do not benefit from these safety features, and serious injuries still happen frequently. Furthermore, when a car accident occurs at very reckless high speeds, there is little these safety features can do to help.
An accident lawyer from The Law Place can help you win compensation if you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Tampa.
Causes of T-Bone Car Accidents
These car accidents can happen in many possible settings, such as intersections, residential streets, highways, interstates, and even parking lots. They happen most commonly in places where cars travel perpendicularly to one another, such as four-way stops.
A side-impact collision can also happen between parallel-traveling vehicles when one driver fails to look before changing lanes and “sideswipes” the other car.
Accidents of this nature can happen for several reasons. Some of the reasons are:
- Reckless driving.
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI) – Drugs and alcohol can dramatically dull reflexes and slow down reaction times.
- Distracted driving – For example, a driver could be distracted by a message on their phone and fail to stop at a stop sign.
- Poor visibility – A driver may not be able to see the lights or other cars due to a heavy downpour or it being a poorly lit road on a dark night.
No matter how the accident occurred, if your life has been deeply affected by a car accident as a result of a side collision in Tampa Fl, a personal injury lawyer from The Law Place is here for you. The consequences of such incidents can be incredibly detrimental, and it is not fair that your life could be potentially changed forever because of someone else’s reckless driving.
We’re here to serve you. Our phones are open 24 hours a day. Common Injuries After a T-Bone Accident
Due to the severity of a T-bone accident, it rarely results in just a few minor injuries, such as scrapes and bruises for victims. More often than not, the injuries sustained in a car accident such as this are severe.
The most common physical injuries associated with a T-bone accident are:
- Head injury – Traumatic brain injuries (or TBI) are very common results of car accidents. Head injuries are defined by a severe bump or penetration to the head, which affects brain function. A TBI can be sustained when the victim’s head strikes the windshield or side of the car. However, even when seatbelts and airbags prevent this from happening, the sheer force of the accident can cause a person’s brain to slam into the skull and result in an injury. An injury of this nature s difficult to recover from, if they are able to recover at all.
- Chest trauma – With this type of injury, the blunt force of the accident impacts the chest cavity, and that can result in a restriction of airflow.
- Broken ribs– These types of injuries can be extremely painful, but they aren’t necessarily as serious as chest trauma and head injuries and are not as life-threatening.
Unfortunately, even non-life-threatening injuries sustained in a car accident can involve a long healing process, and the effects of the accident can affect all aspects of a victim’s life for years to come.
For this reason, after any car accident, it is important that you have the right personal injury attorneys on your side. For the right support and an attorney-client relationship, which offers trust and understanding, contact The Law Place today.
We’re Florida’s top litigation team with over 75 years of combined experience Duty of Care
If you have suffered injuries in a side-impact collision in Tampa, an attorney will aim to recover damages for you from the responsible party and their insurer. In order to do this, they must prove that the driver is guilty of negligence and that you incurred damages as a result.
All licensed drivers in Florida have an implied duty of care to operate their vehicles safely and reasonably and to pay close attention to other motorists and pedestrians at all times. If the driver who struck your vehicle violated a traffic law, this could be used as evidence that they breached their duty of care as a licensed driver.
Your Tampa personal injury lawyer will draw upon a number of forms of evidence, including police reports, accident reports, medical records, doctors’ statements, accident reconstruction, and expert witness testimony. They will then proceed to make a connection between the driver’s breach of duty to your injury, making a solid case for compensation for your damages.
From the initial call to updates on your case status, we are here to get you answers. What Damages Can I Recover?
The suffering faced by accident victims can have an impact on all aspects of their life.
Damages which you can recover for your injuries include;
- Medical bills.
- Lost wages.
- Reduced earning capacity.
- Car and property repairs.
- Pain and suffering.
- Emotional and psychological distress
- Inconvenience.
At The Law Place, we will carefully review your damages and make a commitment to pursue the responsible party and their insurer for the full amount owed to you.
What to Do If You Have Been the Victim of an Accident in Tampa, FL
Immediately after being involved in a side-impact collision, it is vital that you seek medical attention as the injuries caused could be severe and even life-threatening. In some cases, the existence or severity of an injury is not obvious right away, so you should always get checked over and keep a record of any medical notes and medical bills. Unfortunately, this is where your medical bills will start accumulating, but with the help of the right personal injury attorney, these expenses can be recovered for you.
It is likely that you will receive a phone call from the other driver’s insurance company within a few days of your accident. NEVER take this call before speaking with an attorney. Anything you say can and will be used against you, just as if you were the suspect in a crime. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, panic and stress might make you view the events completely differently, and you may even wrongly believe that you were at fault in some way, when in fact you were not.
The insurance company may offer you a quick settlement, which will always be in their best interests. This can be tempting when medical bills are mounting up, and you have been left unable to work. But if you accept the insurer’s you may miss out on money that is rightfully owed to you. Our car accident lawyers can help you recover the fair compensation you deserve.
The Importance of a Personal Injury Attorney in Your T-Bone Accident Case
Unfortunately, no amount of money can ever get your life back if you have suffered serious injuries as a result of a car accident, but a personal injury attorney at The Law Place can push the insurance company to compensate you even further for the pain and suffering caused. This is why it is vitally important to seek the help of an experienced lawyer as insurance companies rarely take into consideration other financial losses, such as any future treatment for your injury.
If you have lost a loved one as a result of a side-impact collision, you can potentially be able to recover damages by placing a claim for wrongful death. Along with the deceased person’s burial expenses and medical bills, you can also place a claim for loss of companionship. It is difficult to imagine how hard it must be to lose a loved one because of an accident caused possibly by a reckless driver. Please don’t hesitate to contact one of our lawyers today to schedule a free consultation and get the justice in which you are entitled to for your injuries.
Gaining the right amount of compensation for your injuries after a collision with another vehicle can be difficult. Often, the fault will be placed on both sides, but one of our personal injury lawyers can thoroughly investigate your accident and establish the defenses against any accusations of fault placed on your behalf.
Our attorneys can also aid you in locating knowledgable witnesses that can document their version of events and testify on your behalf if the case goes to court. They can also help to collect vital evidence to help prove the other driver’s negligence in causing your injury and the collision.
Contact The Law Place Today
At The Law Place, our Tampa attorneys have a wealth of experience in dealing with cases like yours. We are well equipped in representing victims of car wreck cases and are fully prepared to give you the legal representation you need to get the justice that you deserve. We are here to help our clients in Tampa and we pride ourselves on always achieving an excellent attorney-client relationship.
Contact us today at The Law Place for a free consultation. Our Florida based law firm covers Tampa Bay, call us on 941-444-4444 to get started.
We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, always free to listen to your call.
