Broadside collisions, sometimes called T-bone accidents, occur when the sides of two vehicles violently crash into each other at roughly ninety-degree angles. These dangerous vehicular accidents can result in severe injuries and tremendous property damage due to the shear forces involved.
If you or a loved one suffered devastating injuries in a broadside crash, you need strong legal advocates on your side immediately. The dedicated injury attorneys at the Porter Law Group have decades of combined experience winning substantial financial compensation for crash victims just like you. Call us at 833-PORTER9 for a free case review. We work on a contingency basis, so you don’t pay anything unless you win.
Broadside accidents involve two vehicles striking each other perpendicularly or close to perpendicularly along the sides. For example, if one car fails to stop at a stop sign and gets struck in the side by crossing traffic, that would qualify as a broadside collision.
Other common scenarios include a vehicle turning left and getting slammed by oncoming straight traffic at the intersection. Even veering suddenly into another lane and getting T-boned by a nearby car counts.
In most cases, broadside collisions result from one driver acting negligently—typically by disregarding traffic signals, distracted driving, or impaired driving due to alcohol or drugs. However, poor road conditions, visibility issues, mechanical failures, or other factors can also play a role. Pinpointing exactly what happened requires sorting out all the evidence.
Regardless of the initial cause, the hallmarks of sideswipe crashes remain consistent - the vulnerable side areas of vehicles suffer intense intrusion versus the buffered front and rear ends. Occupants can experience punishing rotational and lateral motions from the sheer perpendicular impact forces. Injuries to the heads, spinal cords, pelvises, and limbs often result.
While no two accidents ever unfold identically, the majority of broadside crashes stem from a few preventable behaviors:
This catch-all category includes all actions diverting a driver's eyes off the road, like texting, programming navigation apps, attending to kids in the backseat, eating, reading billboards - essentially anything not fully focused on diligent vehicle operation. Modern studies show distraction contributed to an alarming 424,000 car crash injuries in 2019 across the US.
Whether blowing through red lights and stop signs or misjudging the timing needed to turn left across oncoming traffic, running intersections rank as the simplest yet most devastating ways for perpendicular collisions to happen. T-bone crashes caused by disregard for basic traffic signals also automatically place the majority of the fault on that non-compliant driver.
Intoxication from alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs sadly plays a consistent role in fatal broadside accidents each year. Even small decreases in reaction time and motor control from impaired drivers enable full speed vehicles to barrel into intersections unchecked. And again, blame resides fully upon those individuals under the influence in such preventable incidents.
While not inherently illegal, like above, driving well over posted speed limits removes crucial seconds for side impacted drivers to perceive threats entering intersections against the traffic flow. Similarly, speeders leave themselves fewer options to take evasive action before colliding when crossing traffic fails to halt. Excess velocity aggravates already serious T-bone crash outcomes.
Given the jarring physics of two vehicles striking laterally, severe occupant injuries frequently occur:
While all vehicle occupants risk various orthopedic and neurological harm, improperly restrained passengers often suffer the most extreme consequences - getting partially or fully ejected leads to considerably higher mortality rates.
And for more vulnerable road users, like motorcycles and bicycles, broadside collisions virtually guarantee severe injury or death, given the minimal protection available. Riders essentially endure massive blunt force trauma from a speeding multi-ton vehicle. Many never fully heal physically or psychologically from the experience.
T-bone crashes involve many contributing factors that make determining blame legally complex. To receive fair compensation, victims must conclusively prove who was primarily at fault. This is challenging since these types of crashes result from the actions of both drivers. Victims need to show that the other driver's negligence or recklessness was the main cause of the collision and their subsequent injuries.
An experienced personal injury attorney can help gather evidence and build a convincing case proving majority liability lies with the other party. Successfully doing this has a major impact on the injury damages the victim is entitled to receive.If injured in a serious broadside automobile, motorcycle, or pedestrian accident, call the Porter Law Group at 833-PORTER9 now for a free, no-obligation case evaluation. You can also send us a message at info@porterlawteam.com today!
