New York City Lawyers Advocating for Motor Vehicle Collision Victims
Side-impact collisions are also known as T-bone collisions. They often come out of nowhere and result in serious or even fatal injuries. Unlike rear-end collisions, in which there is a crumple zone to absorb some of the force, a car hit from the side offers only a minimal buffer between the occupants of the vehicle and the impact. A lot of the force affects the occupants directly, and the results can be devastating. At Newman, Anzalone & Newman, LLP, our New York City car accident attorneys may be able to help you recover damages if you are injured or a loved one is killed in a side-impact accident.
Side-Impact Accidents Can Cause Serious Harm
Side-impact collisions are known as broadside or T-bone collisions because the broad side of the vehicle is struck by another vehicle. This type of car accident most often occurs at intersections because one or more cars fail to yield the right of way.
If you are seriously injured in a side-impact accident caused by someone else, you may be able to recover damages by bringing a personal injury lawsuit. Most side-impact accidents result from a driver’s negligence. To show their negligence, you will need to show that it is more likely than not that the other driver owed you a duty to use reasonable care, but a breach of the duty caused your accident and related damages.
A breach of the duty to use reasonable care can be a result of drunk driving, distracted driving (such as texting while driving), speeding, tailgating, weaving, failing to follow traffic signals or signs, or road rage, among other situations. For example, a jury may find a driver at fault for texting while driving down a street and hitting the side of another car at an uncontrolled intersection. For another example, a jury may find a driver who is trying to control an unrestrained pet in the passenger seat and does not see a stop sign, thereby T-boning another car, negligent.
There are situations in which two drivers are negligent, resulting in a side-impact collision. If the defendant alleges comparative negligence, the jury will look at both of your actions, determine damages, and assign percentages of fault. Your damages will be reduced by an amount equal to your percentage of fault. For example, if the damages are $100,000, and you are found 25% at fault, you can recover $75,000 from a party found to be 75% at fault.
Damages that may be recovered after a side-impact accident vary but may include both economic and noneconomic losses. Economic losses are usually tangible and documented losses. They can include emergency services, medical bills, rehabilitation, physical therapy, property losses, out-of-pocket losses, and the replacement value of household services. Household services include the work that you do to keep up a household, such as cleaning, meal prep, taking care of pets, taking care of a yard, shopping, and home maintenance. Sometimes it includes taking care of children.
Noneconomic losses are intangible losses that the jury believes naturally flow from the kinds of injuries that you suffered. They can include pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment, and loss of consortium. These damages can vary dramatically depending on the degree and nature of your injuries, who is on the jury, the attorney who is presenting your story, and how persuasively it is told. If you suffer catastrophic and permanently disabling injuries, such as spinal cord or brain injuries, it is likely that the jury will believe that your pain and suffering is more significant than if you suffer a single broken bone, for example.
Hire a Tenacious Car Crash Lawyer in the New York City Area
If you are seriously injured in a side-impact accident in New York City, it is important to hire an experienced attorney. Newman, Anzalone & Newman, LLP provides effective legal representation in car accident lawsuits. We represent people in Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Long Island. Call us at 718-682-7409 or contact us through our online form.
