Why Do Broadside/T-Bone Car Accidents Cause Serious Injuries?

An accident where the front of one car slams into the side of another car is known as a T-bone accident. Another name for a T-bone accident is a broadside accident. The letter T visually describes the accident as the vertical column strikes the horizontal column at the top of the letter. T-bone accidents are often fatal or cause catastrophic (life-changing) injuries. At Merkel & Cocke, we file wrongful death claims for families when a loved one (a parent, child, or spouse) dies in a T-bone accident. We file personal injury claims on behalf of any survivors.

How do T-bone accidents happen in Mississippi?

Most T-bone car accidents happen at intersections. Generally, these accidents occur when a driver who should have stopped proceeds through the intersection while perpendicular traffic is proceeding through the intersection.

T-bone accidents are not limited to intersections. Other locations where T-bone accidents can occur include a car that is entering a main highway from a shopping center, a restaurant, a parking lot, or any location other than an intersection, that proceeds before letting the cars on the highway pass that driver’s location. Broadside accidents can also happen when a driver attempts a U-turn or at an on or off-ramp.

What are the common causes of T-bone accidents in Mississippi?

Our Mississippi car accident lawyers work with the police, our own investigators, and traffic reconstruction experts when necessary to show the cause of your accident and who is responsible. T-bone accidents are often due to one or more of the following causes.

• Speeding and other traffic violations
• Driving too fast for the weather or traffic conditions
• Driver distraction, including texting, using a mobile phone, looking at a GPS, eating, drinking, or any activity that takes a driver’s mind off the road and hands off the wheel
• Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Driver fatigue
• Defective brakes
• Other causes
• Failing to yield the right of way at stop signs, at a red traffic light, or at other locations
• Making an improper left-hand turn
• Failing to use caution when it is raining, the roads are wet, or the sun is glaring
• There are trees, signs, or other conditions that make visibility difficult

Truck drivers and drivers of some cars such as SUVs may have difficulty seeing through blind spots which can cause a driver to proceed when they should stop.

What are T-bone accidents so deadly and dangerous

T-bone accidents may cause deaths and serious injuries for the following reasons:

• The sides of cars provide little protection. When the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another vehicle, then the drivers and passengers who are struck don’t have the hood or trunk of the car to protect them. They’re likely to be immediately crush Unlike head-on and rear-end collisions, airbags may not deploy in a T-bone crash unless the vehicle is equipped with side-impact airbags, which are not standard in all models. Without the protection of a hood or trunk, the door of the car whose side is struck can move inward, pushing the occupants toward the other occupants or the other side of the vehicle.
• The vehicles may move into other vehicles or objects. If your car is struck on the side by the front of another car, the angle and force of the collision can force your car to be pushed into other lanes of travel, which can cause secondary collisions. T-bone accidents can also force the car whose side is struck into trees, roadside barriers, and other parts of a highway.
• T-bone collisions are deadly. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety(IIHS) data for 2022 shows that T-bone accidents were the cause of 5,697 deaths – killing 3,551 car occupants, 811 pickup occupants, and 1271 SUV occupants. More than one in five fatal car accidents were due to a side impact collision.

What types of injuries do T-bone accidents cause?

Victims of T-bone accidents may suffer catastrophic injuries that require a lifetime of medical care. These injuries include

• Traumatic brain injuries, concussions, and other types of head trauma
• Spinal cord damage including paralysis
• Traumatic amputation/loss of limb
• Broken bones/fractures
• Burn injuries
• Internal bleeding and organ damage
• Nerve and muscle damage
• Tissue, ligament, and tendon damage
• Whiplash
• Cuts, lacerations, and bruises
• Hearing or vision loss
• Heart disorders
• Scarring and disfigurement

Who is responsible for a T-bone accident in Mississippi?

Our Mississippi car accident lawyers file claims against everyone responsible for your broadside accident. The defendants may include:

• The driver of the car whose front strikes your side.
• In some situations, the driver of the car whose side is struck may be responsible for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• An employer of a driver.
• The owner of the car of the responsible driver if the owner and driver are not the same, such as when parents allow their child to use their car.
• A manufacturer of defective car parts, such as defective brakes.
• A seller of alcohol to a driver who was visibly intoxicated at the time of the sale if the driver’s intoxication is the cause of the accident.
• The Mississippi Department of Transportation or other governmental agencies/entities for improper road design or road maintenance (Mississippi Code § 67-3-73 (2020)).

What is the value of a T-bone accident claim in Mississippi?

At Merkel & Cocke, we demand compensation for all your damages so far and all your future damages. These damages include all your:

• Medical bills of every type
• Lost income and benefits including permanent disability compensation
• Physical pain and emotional suffering
• Property damage
• Inability to enjoy life’s pleasures
• We also demand compensation for any scarring, disfigurement, loss of bodily function, or loss of consortium.

In some cases, we may demand punitive damages, such as when driver intoxication causes a T-bone collision.

If a loved one dies in a T-bone accident, we demand wrongful death compensation for the funeral and burial costs, any medical costs, the loss of financial support your loved one would have provided, the loss of personal support your loved one would have provided, and the pain and suffering of the family members.

At Merkel & Cocke, we’ve been fighting for accident victims for more than 40 years. We have a long track record of helping injury victims pursue compensation successfully. Call our T-bone accident lawyers now or use our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We have offices in Jackson, Clarksdale, Greenville, and Oxford. We also serve Tupelo and the Gulf Coast regions.