T-Bone Accidents in Virginia – Side Impact Collisions Claim Thousands of Lives

Side impact collisions are also known as t-bone accidents. They can be very serious because a vehicle is taking the force of a crash in a weaker place.

Every year our Virginia car wreck lawyers represent many people who have been injured in t-bone crashes in Virginia.

Side impact collisions occur in many different traffic situations. Although the driver who hits the side of another vehicle is often at fault, this is not always the case.

For instance, if a driver ignores a stop sign or a red light and you hit that car and are injured, the red light runner can be liable for your injuries. T-bone accidents also happen regularly when a driver is making a left turn without having the right of way.

Every year, t-bone accidents claim the lives of between 8,500 and 10,000 people, according to Nolo.

If you are hit from behind or from the front, several feet of steel may protect you. There is only a door and a window to protect you during side impact wrecks. Head-on wrecks are the most deadly type of collision because of the forces involved.

However, side impact collisions are often very serious. They are most common at intersections.

Cars in the 21^st Century have more side impact protection features than their predecessors. However, there’s a limit to how much protection can be afforded from a vehicle that hits the side of your car at high speed.

In some cases, the manufacturer of a car or a repair shop may be held liable if, for example, a side airbag fails to deploy. The extent of the injuries may have been exacerbated because the collision broke a seatbelt or damaged the side impact airbags and stopped them from deploying.

If you have been injured in an intersection crash, our legal experts can piece together evidence at the scene and file a lawsuit against the insurance policy of the at-fault driver.

T-bone accidents happen with an alarming regularity at busy intersections in Hampton Roads and across Virginia. In a recent case, we helped a young man who suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was hit by a red light runner in Virginia Beach.

If you have been hurt in a T-bone accident in Virginia or north-eastern North Carolina, please call us for a free consultation at (757) 333-3333.

Griff O’Hanlon