Even modern cars with safety features like side airbags cannot completely protect occupants from the forces involved in a T-bone crash, especially at high speeds. As a result, these wrecks unfortunately often cause serious injuries—and when these injuries stem entirely from another’s negligence, that person should be the one who pays for them rather than the injured individual.
Of course, knowing that someone else is responsible for causing side-impact/T-bone car accidents in Eureka is one thing, and holding them accountable for it through settlement negotiations or a civil court trial is another entirely. Fortunately, a seasoned car accident attorney could help, guiding you through every step of the legal process and working tirelessly to get you the best case result possible.
T-bone collisions generally happen in places where lanes of traffic are traveling perpendicularly to each other, like intersections and parking lots, because they involve the front of one car crashing into the doors or side paneling of another. Conversely, sideswipe collisions—another form of side-impact crashes that involve the sides of two vehicles brushing together—most commonly happen around highway entrance and exit lanes but can also occur anywhere two or more lanes of traffic are traveling in the same direction.
All these different types of wrecks share one important thing in common: with relatively few exceptions, they all stem from someone involved in the collision acting recklessly or carelessly. Depending on the circumstances, this could be anything from an overt traffic violation like running a red light to a moment of distraction that leads to someone drifting out of their lane at just the wrong moment.
Either way, a reckless or careless act that directly results in a car accident typically meets all the criteria for legal negligence, which is the basis for most lawsuits built around side-impact car collisions in Eureka. A knowledgeable attorney could explain exactly how this theory works and its impact on civil recovery during a confidential consultation.
A court could find an injured person filing suit over an auto accident partially liable for causing their injuries when they were negligent in some way. Any finding of comparative fault could then be held against that injured person as a proportional reduction from the value of their final damage award—for instance, a person found 25 percent to blame for their wreck might only be able to recover 75 percent of their total damages.
Additionally, Missouri Revised Statutes §516.120 establishes a five-year filing period for injury claims, which usually begins on the date the injury first occurred and can run out deceptively quickly while constructing a strong civil claim. Support from skilled legal counsel can be crucial to navigating around these and other procedural roadblocks following a T-bone car crash in Eureka.
Getting T-boned or sideswiped while driving is always a jarring experience. Unfortunately, it can be life-changing when you suffer severe injuries from the wreck. Fortunately, you likely have a right to take legal action against the person who hit you and demand they reimburse you for every form of harm their irresponsibility will cause you.
Side-impact/T-bone car accidents in Eureka can be much easier to handle in a proactive way with a capable lawyer on your side. Call today to discuss your options.
