About 22% of car accident deaths are from side-impact crashes, also known as T-bone accidents. T-bone accidents can be especially dangerous because the side of a vehicle doesn’t have the same structure or protection as the front or back.
With T-bone accidents resulting in serious injuries, it’s important to know who’s at fault.
Haun Mena explains the fault for T-bone car accidents in Texas.
Understanding T-Bone Car Accidents
A T-bone car accident is one where the vehicles are in the shape of the letter T at impact. The vehicles hit each other at a 90-degree angle. Impact occurs while the vehicles are traveling perpendicular to each other.
Usually, this means one vehicle is hit at the front and another is hit on the side. Another term for a T-bone accident is a broadside collision because one of the vehicles is hit on its longest side.
How Do T-Bone Accidents Happen?
T-bone accidents usually happen in intersections, where one vehicle enters the intersection without the right of way. One of the drivers accidentally or purposefully enters the intersection when it is not their turn. T-bone accidents are most often the result of misperception, poor driving skills, mechanical failure, or failure to follow traffic laws.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a T-Bone Car Accident in Houston?
The party liable for a T-Bone car accident in Houston is the party who enters the intersection without the right of way. Texas law says that drivers must follow stop signs and traffic lights that say when to enter an intersection. When there are no traffic signals, the driver must yield until they can safely continue.
This means the driver who enters the intersection improperly is responsible for the T-bone accident. However, there may be rare cases where the underlying fault is mechanical failure or a design defect that is not attributable to the vehicle owner.
Fault
The driver of the vehicle in either position may be at fault. Which vehicle is struck on the side, and which one collides at the front is not an indicator of which vehicle shouldn’t have entered the intersection.
Determining fault often comes down to eyewitness evidence.
Vehicle skid marks may evidence evasive action. For example, if one of the vehicles attempted to turn, the defensive move may be a sign that the person was not at fault. However, even a driver who enters an intersection improperly may take evasive action when they realize a collision is about to occur. Evasive action may not be conclusive.
Texas T-bone Car Accident Law
Texas Transportation Code § 545.151 says that a vehicle operator approaching an intersection must stop and yield. They must grant use of the intersection in keeping with a traffic-control device, like a stop sign or yield sign. They may proceed into the intersection only when they can do so safely without interfering with traffic or causing a collision.
When an intersection doesn’t have a traffic control device, the vehicle already in the intersection has the right of way. The approaching vehicle may proceed only when it can enter safely.
Left turns
Texas Transportation Code § 545.152 says that a driver wanting to turn left must yield the right of way to a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction.
Common T-Bone Car Accident Injuries
Common T-Bone car accident injuries include:
- Concussion, coup-contrecoup injury
- Whiplash
- Broken bones, including arms, hip, femur, lower leg and foot
- Spinal cord injury, paralysis, nerve damage
- Broken ribs, damage to internal organs
- Ligament and tendon damage
- Burns, scars, disfigurement
- Internal bleeding, contusions, bruises
- Anxiety, flashbacks, avoidance, guilt, depression
T-bone car accident injuries are often serious. A person may have debilitating injury and physical pain. They may also have mental health injuries which can interfere with daily life.
What Are Your Legal Options After a T-Bone Accident?
If you are in a T-bone accident, you may have the legal option to seek monetary compensation.
In Houston and throughout Texas, the party at fault is liable for an accident. Fault is determined by negligence.
For a T-bone accident, the party that enters the intersection improperly is at fault.
Compensation
You may seek financial compensation for damages, including financial losses and personal harm.
Most claims are settled through car accident insurance. If you are unable to negotiate fair compensation, you may file a formal legal claim.
Although it may sound straightforward, the victim must prove fault and their right to compensation. They must identify damages. An attorney can explain what your case is worth.
How Your Attorney Will Prove Liability
Proving liability may involve:
- Investigating the accident including skid marks and other evidence of evasive action
- Inspecting vehicles for location of damage and data recorders
- Searching for video surveillance
- Conducting depositions, including of other drivers
- Speaking to witnesses, bystanders and those in other vehicles
- Performing accident reconstruction
- Reviewing the police report
- Looking for other possible causes of the accident, like vehicle malfunction or road design and maintenance
- Gathering medical evidence that injuries are the result of the accident
A person should begin to build their case as quickly as possible. An attorney can work on your behalf while you recover. Building a strong case can assist in negotiating a fair settlement because the true value of the case becomes clear. Haun Mena can begin representing you immediately.
How a Car Accident Injury Lawyer Can Help
At Haun Mena, we represent injured clients and their families in compensation claims. We investigate and build evidence of fault. Then, we thoroughly document your losses.
We know what damages can be claimed for a T-bone accident, including fair compensation for pain, life changes, and the disruption that comes with being an accident victim. Our team fully handles your case, answering your questions and guiding you as you make decisions.
Contact Us
Have you been in a T-bone accident? Are you wondering who is at fault? Contact Haun Mena.
Our attorneys can evaluate fault. We can represent you in claiming your monetary compensation. Call 713-874-9216 or message us now.
