You are driving down the street on a beautiful sunny day. You approach a crosswalk and you think you will be able to make it to the other side just before the light turns red. Suddenly, you hear a thunk and an airbag explodes into your arm. Excruciating pain shoots through your body and you wonder what happened. You realize that a car has t-boned you. As you travel to the hospital, you wonder if you have a lawsuit. Although it may seem that the other driver was absolutely at fault, the blame for a T-bone accident may not be as obvious as it first appears. There are a few common causes of T-bone accidents which explains who is at fault.
Distracted Driving
Smartphones may have made our lives more convenient, but they have also made them more dangerous. The lure of knowing the number of Facebook likes or retweets your last thought may have nettled can be so tempting, that you will take your eyes off the road for a moment. You might get a text message from a family member and glance down to make sure it is not an emergency.
You can miss an awful lot when you take your eyes off the road even for a second. You are operating a heavy piece of equipment and you are traveling at a very high rate of speed. You may not have time to look for oncoming traffic as you approach the crosswalk and you may not see a pedestrian.
Speeding
It may seem as though the person who has the right of way at an intersection can never be responsible for a T-bone accident. However, If a person is traveling too fast it might not matter if they have the right of way. If a car is crossing an intersection that only has stop signs and no traffic lights, the driver may stop and look both ways before proceeding and end up hitting a car that comes tearing through the intersection at a pace that is much higher than the speed limit.
Making an Illegal Left Turn
Rushing is the cause of many accidents. If you do not take the time to do something correctly, you are bound to make mistakes and driving is no exception.
If you want to turn left at an intersection, give a turn signal, slow down. look both ways and if there are multiple lanes, use the left one.
What to do at the Scene
If you are involved in a T-bone accident, call the police and wait at the scene for them to arrive. Take pictures if you can and get the names of any witnesses. Be sure to exchange contact information with the other driver. go to the doctor right away to make sure you were okay even if you feel fine.
Calling Your Insurance Company
Before you call your insurance company, you may want to talk to a personal injury attorney. A trained lawyer will be very familiar with New York accident law and be well-versed in negotiating with insurance adjusters. Click here to read more hlgny.com/car-accidents/.
Defensive driving is the best way to avoid an accident. It is especially effective in avoiding a T-Bone accident.
Authoritative Sources:
https://pixabay.com/photos/headlamp-accident-auto-blue-broken-2940/
https://driversed.com/driving-information/driving-techniques/making-right-and-left-turns.aspx