New York T-Bone Collision Attorneys

T-bone crashes, also known as side-impact collisions or broadside crashes, occur when one car strikes another car at a perpendicular angle, forming the shape of a “T.” These crashes can happen on either the driver or passenger side of a vehicle.

If you’ve been injured in a T-bone crash, it’s important to speak with an auto accident attorney skilled at litigating side-impact collision cases to help you understand your rights. If the broadside crash is caused by another party’s negligence, you may be able to recover financial compensation for your injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.

T-bone collision cases can be complex. The attorney needs to understand current city and state traffic laws, potentially work with experts to recreate the accident scene, work with financial and medical experts to better understand the impact of your injuries, and complete other procedures to give you the best chance at fair and full financial compensation for your injuries. The lawyers at Block O’Toole & Murphy understand the pain and distress that can result from a devastating T-bone crash and have recovered top verdicts and settlements for clients in motor vehicle accidents. Notable side-impact crash results include:

• $5,160,916 verdict for a landscaper who required two spinal surgeries after the truck he was riding in was struck on the front passenger side by a car that ran a stop sign in Queens
• $4,600,000 settlement for a Long Island man who sustained spinal injuries after his car was struck on the front passenger side by a negligent driver who ran a stop sign
• $4,000,000 settlement for a 53-year-old man who suffered neck, shoulder, and back injuries after the left side of his car was hit by a driver making a left turn

To find out if you are eligible to collect compensation from the liable party in your side-impact crash, schedule a FREE, no-obligation consultation with a qualified lawyer at Block O’Toole & Murphy today. Simply call 212-736-5300 or fill out our Contact Form.

Side-Impact Collisions Have Greater Safety Risks

In 2017, at least 6,354 people died and at least 496,000 were injured as a result of side-impact collisions nationwide, based on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Traffic Safety Facts Annual Report. According to this data, side-impact collisions are the leading type of crash that results in motor vehicle accident deaths.

While unpleasant, these facts make sense, especially when thinking about the increased amount of danger in a T-bone crash. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which conducts vehicle safety tests, protecting vehicle occupants from side-impact crashes is especially challenging because there is simply less space between the side of a car and its occupant, as opposed to the front and rear of a vehicle, which have substantial “crumple zones.”

Additionally, there are not as many safety features in cars as one might think to protect against T-bone crashes. All vehicles have been required by federal law to have frontal airbags since 1998. Side airbags, on the other hand, are not required, although they are now common. Side airbags are considered standard on most new vehicles that are manufactured, but it is not guaranteed that your car, especially if it is an older vehicle, will have them. Furthermore, even though side airbags are now considered standard, they are not sufficient on their own to protect vehicle passengers from crashes. Vehicles need to have a strong structure, combined with side airbag protection, in order to provide the greatest reduction in passenger injury risk, according to research on side-impact crash testing conducted by the IIHS.

Because the side of a motor vehicle offers little protection to those inside, broadside car crashes are inherently dangerous. The front of the oncoming vehicle is generally more powerful than the side of the car into which it crashes. Additionally, with the large number of trucks and SUVs on roadways, the odds of being hit by a significantly larger vehicle are increased, presenting a greater danger to motorists of smaller cars.

All of this means that T-bone car accidents can lead to serious injuries, which include but are not limited to the following:

• Death
• Head trauma, including traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord damage, including paralysis
• Amputation
• Broken bones
• Burns
• Soft tissue injuries, such as whiplash

These are not minor injuries. Any of these would severely impact your quality of life. If you have been in a T-bone car accident and are suffering any of these injuries, you may deserve compensation not only for your pain and suffering, but for your medical bills and loss of income as well. Do not hesitate to contact one of our car accident lawyers, who can discuss the accident and your legal rights with you in order to get the fullest possible amount of compensation you may be entitled to.

How Do Broadside Crashes Occur?

Side-impact collisions commonly occur at intersections when vehicles make unsafe lane changes or run red lights and stop signs. Two common scenarios are:

1. You proceed through an intersection in which you have the right of way, and another car fails to yield, proceeding through the intersection at the same moment and crashing into the side of your car
2. You proceed through an intersection, and a car coming from the opposite direction begins to make a left turn too quickly in front of you, causing you to crash into the side of the vehicle

Not all T-bone crashes happen at intersections, although they are common; other T-bone crash examples can include a motorist pulling out of a parking lot or side street without checking properly, causing a collision in which his car hits yours perpendicularly.

Who is Liable in a Side-Impact Collision?

If you were injured in a T-bone crash, the liability may seem straightforward: the person who hit you is the one at fault. However, that is not always the case. T-bone crashes can be complicated, and it is possible, because of New York’s comparative negligence law, to share liability for an accident, even if your vehicle was the one that was hit.

Some of the factors that can contribute to these complications include:

• Defective parts: Perhaps the vehicle that hit yours didn’t run a red light simply because of recklessness; maybe the driver tried to stop, but the brakes weren’t working properly. Or maybe the driver didn’t see you, because your headlights had gone out. A defective vehicle complicates liability, because there are now parties other than the driver that could be at fault for the accident.
• Defective or poorly maintained roads: Similar to the above, if something other than the driver’s own negligence caused him to hit you-perhaps the vehicle’s tires slipped on a patch of black ice or got caught in a pothole-then the entity responsible for maintaining the roadway could be at fault as well.
• Traffic signals/right of way: One of the main things opposing parties argue about when it comes to accident liability is who had the right of way. If you had a green light at the time of the accident, and the person who hit you is arguing they had a green (or a protected green) as well, then it can be difficult to prove who is at fault. If there is no evidence (such as traffic camera footage or proof of the traffic light’s cycles) liability will not always be clear.
• Timing of accident: Perhaps you T-boned another motorist’s vehicle as they made a sharp turn. However, you believe that you couldn’t avoid hitting their car, since they cut in front of you suddenly while making the turn. In this case, it is certainly not clear who is at fault.

T-Bone Accident Lawyers Are Here to Help

If you or a loved one has been injured in a side-impact car crash, our auto accident lawyers can help you obtain the compensation needed to recover from your crash. Depending on the specifics of your auto accident case, you may be entitled to damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Some additional noteworthy results we have obtained for victims of side-impact crashes include:

• $5,160,916 verdict for a 38-year-old landscaper whose injuries left him unable to return to work after he was hit on the front passenger side of his car by a vehicle that ran a stop sign
• $4,600,000 settlement for a 53-year-old man who sustained two herniated discs in a violent Long Island collision in which his vehicle was T-boned by another car that ran a stop sign
• $4,000,000 settlement for a Queens man who suffered multiple herniated discs, among other injuries, when he was struck by another car making a left turn
• $3,000,000 settlement for a woman who suffered injuries to her ankle, shoulder, and neck as the result of a T-bone accident caused by a police vehicle
• $2,925,000 settlement for man who suffered serious back injuries after he was broadsided by a school bus which ran a stop side
• $2,700,000 settlement for a 23-year-old man who suffered severe injuries after he was struck on his front passenger side by another vehicle making an unsafe left turn
• $2,500,000 verdict for woman who was involved in a T-bone collision with a cement mixing truck leaving a Brooklyn construction site
• $1,975,000 settlement for a 50-year-old man who required surgery after a moving truck slammed into the passenger side of his vehicle, forcefully pushing it into nearby parked cars
• $1,800,000 settlement for a NYPD sergeant who was struck on her driver’s side by a speeding vehicle while exiting a parking lot on her way to work
• $1,600,000 settlement for a nurse and mother who required spinal surgery after another motorist suddenly pulled out of a parking lot and hit her driver’s side
• $1,490,000 settlement for a 39-year-old man who sustained serious neck and back injuries after he was struck on his driver’s side by a school bus making a left turn while proceeding through a Brooklyn intersection
• $1,200,000 settlement in a Queens case for a client who sustained neck and back injuries after a T-bone accident

To find out if you have a case, don’t hesitate to call us at 212-736-5300 or fill out our contact form for a FREE case review today. We serve New York and New Jersey.

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