T-bone or side-impact collisions seem to come out of nowhere. You are passing through an intersection, or turning into traffic from a driveway or side street, and suddenly you are struck broadside. Injuries to you and your passengers can be frightful: multiple fractures, crushed bones, head and brain injuries, damage to vertebrae and the spinal cord. In worst cases, people in the car don’t survive.
The question after one of these terrible collisions is: What do you do now?
The first order of business is to see doctors and get better. Sometimes this takes weeks; other times it takes years. No matter how significantly you are injured, or how long it takes you to recover, our firm will be with you every step of the way. Then, when you are finally better, our firm takes the reins. We will work hard to make sure the insurance company compensates you for all that has happened to you. We will seek to recover your lost wages, to pay for your medical bills, and to compensate you for your pain and suffering.
Common Causes of T-Bone Accidents
In most cases, T-bone accidents are caused by driver negligence. Sadly, it only takes one careless mistake to cause a lifetime of consequences for victims and their families. At Drake, Hileman & Davis, we are passionate about helping victims and their loved ones, and if you need help after a serious or fatal accident, as an Allentown T-bone accident lawyer we can do what it takes to seek the financial compensation you and your loved ones deserve.
Our lawyers represent victims and families after all types of T-bone accidents in Allentown. This includes accidents involving common causes such as:
Errors at Four-Way Stops
There are clear rules for how drivers are supposed to handle intersections with four-way stops in Pennsylvania, and these rules are intended specifically to help prevent T-bone collisions. Unfortunately, it is clear that far too many drivers are unfamiliar with these rules—or, in some cases, simply ignore them.
Running Red Lights
Running red lights is another common cause of T-bone accidents in Allentown and the surrounding areas. In many cases, T-bone accidents happen when a driver either tries to “beat” a yellow light or assumes that other drivers will see them running the light and wait for them to pass through the intersection.
Running Stop Signs
Running stop signs is a common cause of T-bone accidents as well. Many drivers in Allentown view stop signs as optional. Unfortunately, running red lights and running stop signs are equally dangerous, and can result in the same devastating consequences. If the driver who T-boned you or your loved one ran a stop sign, you have clear rights under Pennsylvania law.
Speeding
Speeding is also a common factor in T-bone accidents. In some cases, speeding drivers aren’t able to stop in time to avoid causing a T-bone collision. In others, they are going so fast that they don’t see approaching vehicles. Speed creates unreasonable risks, knowingly putting other drivers in harm’s way.
Other Forms of Driver Negligence
Other common forms of driver negligence can cause (or contribute to causing) T-bone accidents as well. If your (or your loved one’s) T-bone accident involved any of the following, an Allentown T-bone accident lawyer at our firm may be able to seek just compensation on your behalf:
- Aggressive driving (or road rage)
- Distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Drug-impaired driving
- Fatigued driving (or falling asleep behind the wheel)
- Misjudging the speed of an approaching vehicle
- Waiting too long to brake
Proving Negligence and Liability After a T-Bone Accident
Regardless of what happened, the first step in seeking financial compensation after a T-bone accident involves proving liability. In most cases, this means proving that the driver who hit you or your loved one was negligent in the moments leading up to the crash.
How do you prove negligence? Proving negligence involves conducting a prompt and thorough investigation, and this is one of several reasons why it is important to hire an experienced Allentown T-bone accident lawyer right away. When our lawyers conduct T-bone accident investigations, we work quickly to preserve all available forms of evidence, including:
- Cell phone data records
- Receipts for purchases of alcohol and prescription medications
- Social media posts
- Text messages
- Tire marks
- Traffic or surveillance camera footage
- Vehicle debris
The specific types of evidence that are available in any particular case depend on the circumstances involved. It is also important to note that while most T-bone accidents involve driver negligence, it is possible that you could have a different type of liability claim as well. For example, if the driver who hit you (or your loved one) ran a red light or stop sign because his or her brakes failed, you could have a claim against the vehicle’s manufacturer. There are other possibilities as well, and assessing all of these possibilities will be essential for ensuring that you seek the full financial compensation you deserve.
Losses That Your T-Bone Accident Lawyer Can Help You Seek to Recover
If you have any type of liability claim for a T-bone accident in Allentown, you are entitled to seek financial compensation for all of your losses resulting from the accident. This includes any future losses you are likely to incur, and these losses could far exceed the costs you have incurred to date. When you hire an Allentown T-bone accident lawyer at our firm to represent you, your lawyer will help you seek just compensation for your present and future losses and harms:
- Medical Bills – In all types of car accident cases, victims and their families can seek just compensation for the medical bills they incur as a result of the crash.
- Other Out-of-Pocket Costs – Victims and their families can also seek just compensation for other out-of-pocket costs, such as prescription medications, medical supplies, transportation, and in-home care.
- Lost Earnings – If accident-related injuries result in lost earnings, victims and their families can seek financial compensation to replace their loss of income and benefits as well.
- Lost Earning Capacity – If accident-related injuries are likely to result in a loss of future earnings, victims and their families can (and should) seek additional compensation for lost earning capacity. Here, too, this covers both income and benefits.
- Pain, Suffering, and Emotional Trauma – Along with medical bills for diagnosis and treatment, T-bone accident victims and their families can seek compensation for the non-financial impacts of their (or their loved one’s) injuries. This includes compensation for pain, suffering, and emotional trauma.
- Scarring and Disfigurement – If accident-related injuries result in scarring or other disfigurement, these are also non-financial losses for which victims and their families can (and should) seek just compensation.
- Loss of Consortium, Companionship and Enjoyment of Life – In serious T-bone accident cases, victims and their families are also entitled to just compensation for their loss of companionship, consortium, and enjoyment of life.
If you have a claim, as Allentown T-bone accident lawyers we will carefully calculate the present and future losses you are entitled to recover. Your lawyer will then focus on recovering just compensation as efficiently as possible, whether this involves negotiating the best possible settlement in a timely manner with the at-fault party’s insurance company or taking your case to court, if the final settlement offer is unacceptable.
Serving Allentown, Stroudsburg and All of Eastern Pennsylvania
The personal injury lawyers at Drake, Hileman & Davis, P.C., can help you work through all the difficulties of being an injured party through no fault of your own. We have helped thousands of your neighbors in car accidents for the past 28 years. Let us help you.
We have all the skills you need to obtain maximum compensation: superior investigation, state-of-the-art accident reconstruction and years of experience negotiating generous settlements. When necessary, we will go to trial to get what’s right.
If you have been injured in a T-bone accident, call us today. We can meet you at one of our office locations in Bethlehem, Doylestown, Allentown, Easton, and Stroudsburg. or in your home. Contact us at 215-348-2088, or toll-free at 888-777-7098. Our attorneys can be reached 24 hours a day.
We also offer Spanish-speaking services to clients.
