Side-Impact Collisions in West Virginia
Side-impact crashes are considered by safety research groups to be the second-most dangerous form of common car accidents, following only head-on crashes in terms of fatalities caused. Side-impact collisions can leave victims with painful injuries, costly medical expenses, and a need for extensive vehicle repairs. If you or someone you love has been injured in a side-impact collision, contact the experienced West Virginia personal injury attorneys at Burke, Schultz, Harman & Jenkinson for a free consultation on whether to file a lawsuit based on your accident.
What causes side-impact crashes?
Side-impact collisions describe any accident where one vehicle is impacted on its side. These can include broadside or T-bone collisions, and lateral impact or side-swipe collisions. In a broadside crash, one vehicle heading straight-on strikes another vehicle at roughly a 90˚ angle. These accidents most often occur at intersections and can happen for a variety of reasons, such as a driver misjudging the speed of oncoming cars when making a left turn, a driver running a red light after cross-traffic has begun traveling through the intersection, or excessive speed. T-bone crashes are attributed as the cause of 25% of all motor vehicle fatalities in the US each year. These collisions are also more likely than other forms of collision to result in injuries to rear-seat passengers, and about a third of all children killed by car accidents annually die in broadside collisions.
What makes side-impact crashes so deadly?
The rates of fatalities from accidents other than side-impact collisions have gone down in recent years at a faster rate than have deaths caused in side-impact collisions. Safety experts have several theories as to why this is the case. One is that, while drivers often have some warning that they’re about to drive head-on into another car or strike the rear of another car, drivers often have little warning that they’re about to be struck from the side. This means that these drivers can do little to prevent or lessen the impact of a crash, such as swerving or braking.
Another factor impacting the fatality rate of side-impact crashes is that cars simply offer less protection to passengers when they’re hit on the side. While many late-model cars offer side-curtain airbags, a glass window simply does not absorb impact in the same way as the car’s hood or bumper can. This is especially true when the vehicle doing the broadsiding is larger and has a higher-positioned grill than the car being hit from the side.
Occupants of side-impact crashes often benefit from the help of a skilled attorney when seeking damages for their injuries caused by these deadly and dangerous accidents. The personal injury lawyers at the Martinsburg offices of Burke, Schultz, Harman & Jenkinson have spent decades helping West Virginia residents get the compensation they deserve after a serious accident. Contact their determined and effective attorneys today for help seeking damages after a side-impact crash.
Contact West Virginia Car Accident Lawyers Today
For aggressive, knowledgeable, and effective legal help after a side-impact collision or other car accident in West Virginia, contact the Martinsburg offices of Burke, Schultz, Harman & Jenkinson for a free consultation at 304-263-0900 or (304) LAWYERS.
