While any type of auto accident has the potential to cause serious injuries, the frame and body of a modern car provide at least some protection to occupants when something hits the front or rear of the vehicle. The same cannot be said, though, for impacts into a car’s doors or side paneling, which, even with safety features like airbags, may do little to prevent the full force of a speeding car from being imparted directly on the people inside the impacted vehicle.
As dangerous as side-impact/T-bone car accidents in Lafayette can be, they can also serve as strong grounds for civil litigation if you understand and then make effective use of your rights under Louisiana civil law. From helping to shape your lawsuit or settlement demand to ensuring you get paid fairly for all your crash-related losses, a seasoned car accident attorney from Tomeny | Best could provide irreplaceable assistance throughout every stage of your legal proceedings.
How Can Negligence Lead to Side-Impact Collisions?
Most side-impact auto accidents in Lafayette can be subcategorized as either T-bone crashes or sideswipe crashes based on the mechanics of how the vehicles involved come together, and each type of accident tends to happen in different places and under different circumstances. Because T-bone wrecks involve the front of one car crashing head-on into the side of another, they usually happen at intersections or other places where lanes of traffic travel perpendicularly to each other, and they typically stem from overt violations of traffic law, like speeding, running stoplights, or not yielding the right-of-way properly.
Sideswipe collisions, on the other hand, tend to happen while multiple lanes of traffic are traveling in the same direction and close enough that the sides of two cars may brush together, and they can stem both from traffic violations, like failure to signal, and from simple carelessness, like not checking blind spots before merging. The important thing in both scenarios is that an illegal or irresponsible act by another person that directly leads to a side-impact collision qualifies as the type of negligence that could justify civil litigation.
How Comparative Fault Might Impact Recovery Efforts
Of course, injured people can also be partially at fault for causing their own side-impact auto accident in Lafayette if, for instance, they committed a traffic offense or failed to pay attention right before the wreck occurred. In a situation like this, a court or insurance company may assign a percentage of comparative fault to that injured person and reduce the total compensation available to them in proportion to that percentage.
Fortunately, Louisiana follows a pure comparative fault system in this regard, so no amount of comparative fault assessed against an injured person would completely disqualify them from suing another person who was also at fault for a wreck. Still, working with seasoned legal counsel to fight allegations along these lines can be vital to maximizing available restitution.
Talk to a Lafayette Attorney About a Possible Side-Impact/T-Bone Car Accident Lawsuit
Taking effective legal action over injuries you sustained in a traffic accident can be far from simple, especially if those injuries will cause you long-lasting and physically debilitating harm. Fortunately, you have help available from dedicated legal professionals with years of experience handling cases like yours successfully.
Retaining a skilled lawyer from Tomeny | Best could be a key first step toward getting the compensation you deserve following a side-impact/T-bone car accident in Lafayette. Schedule your free consultation by calling today.
