How Is Fault Determined in a T-Bone Accident at an Intersection?

How is fault determined in a T-bone accident at an intersection? A careful accident analysis can reveal what happened and who is liable.

Drivers, vehicle manufacturers, or other parties could be to blame. A New Orleans car accident lawyer can investigate your accident and manage all other elements of your injury claim.

Causes of T-Bone Accidents

T-bone accidents are also called “side impact” or “broadside” accidents. They happen when the front of one vehicle crashes into the side of another, creating a “T” shape. Common locations for T-bone crashes are intersections. A driver could run through a red light or stop sign, or fail to yield.

Some of the main causes of car accidents in Louisiana, including T-bone accidents, are:

• Distracted driving
• Speeding
• Impaired driving
• Failing to follow traffic laws and signals

Vehicle operators are not the only possible liable parties. A vehicle defect or malfunction, such as a braking system issue, could cause a T-bone accident.

In that situation, the vehicle manufacturer could be held liable. A broken traffic light could lead to a crash, putting the government agency responsible for traffic safety at fault.

Determining Fault in a T-Bone Accident at an Intersection

Our team knows how fault is determined in a car crash in Louisiana. A thorough accident investigation is critical to making an accurate determination. The sooner that investigation occurs, the better. Important information leading to that determination can get lost the longer the time passes.

There may be footage of the accident recorded by nearby traffic or security cameras. Witnesses can also provide details. Accident reconstruction experts can analyze the facts of the accident, such as each driver’s speed, the power of the impact, skid marks, and other data to “recreate” the event.

Mechanics and other vehicle experts can examine the vehicles. These examinations could expose vehicle problems that contributed to the accident.

They can also assess the value of the damage incurred in the crash. We know how to follow all avenues of evidence instrumental to determining fault.

Supporting Claims of Fault for a T-Bone Accident

An attorney can help determine fault in a T–bone accident at an intersection and file a claim against the negligent party.

There are also things you can do after a Louisiana car accident to support your claim. If you aren’t too injured, call the police to the scene and exchange information with the others involved.

Unfortunately, broadside accidents often leave significant injuries and property damage in their wake, so you may have no choice but to wait for emergency care.

If you can leave on your own power, get medical attention right away. Do not underestimate the importance of seeing a doctor after a car crash. 

Symptoms of very serious injuries, including brain and internal organ damage, may not show right away. Your neck and spine may require immobilization to prevent further injury, but you may not recognize that necessity on your own. Early diagnosis and care support your health and recovery.

Protect Your Claim

Fast care also protects your injury claim. With a successful claim outcome, you can collect compensation from the negligent party after determining fault for a T–bone accident. That party may use your delay in seeking medical care to put fault on you.

Their representatives could argue that you caused yourself more serious, costly injuries by waiting to get treatment or that you inflated your injuries only after realizing you could seek compensation. You can avoid this risk by getting to a medical facility quickly.

Determining Fault Affects Compensation for T-Bone Accidents

Louisiana’s negligence laws present another reason accurate determinations of fault matter. According to the Louisiana State Legislature Article 2323, you must be 50% or less at fault to be eligible to seek compensation for accident-related losses. 

You could meet that eligibility standard but still have a lower percentage of fault. If that’s the case, you will see a compensation reduction according to that percentage. For example, holding 15% of the blame means you collect 85% of the total calculated compensation. 

An experienced New Orleans car accident attorney knows how fault is determined in a T–bone accident and how to protect you from unfair accusations that could cost you justice.

We Can Determine Fault So You Can Get Financial Justice

Side-impact accidents can destroy cars and change the lives of the passengers inside. Direct hits to a driver or front-passenger door can lead to crushed bones, brain or spine trauma, or internal organ damage. Hits to the back doors could injure children riding in safety seats. 

The chances of these outcomes are greater when a crash occurs at high speed, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). High speeds are likely when a driver races to beat a red light and T-bones the driver entering the intersection instead. Additional data from the IIHS shows side-impact crashes accounted for 22% of passenger vehicle occupant deaths over a recent year.

Lower-speed T-bone crashes can also cause significant damage. No matter the extent of your losses, the at-fault party needs to pay you back for them. 

When It Comes to Determining Fault, Timing Matters

Louisiana puts a limit on how long victims have to file an injury claim and seek justice in court. For a T-bone or other car accident, the typical deadline is two years, per ACT 423. To meet this deadline, you should hire a car accident lawyer in New Orleans as soon as possible.

From the start, we can take care of discussions with the other side’s insurance representatives. They may try to get you to say things they could use to put the fault on you. When we speak for you, you don’t have to worry about those risks. 

We Fight to Hold At-Fault Parties Accountable

Scott Vicknair Injury Lawyers takes a solutions–focused approach to every case. If you have been hurt in a T-bone accident at an intersection, we will work diligently to determine fault and hold that party accountable. 

Trust us to fight for the win, so you can get the compensation you need to move into a secure financial future.