Truck T-Bone Accidents

October 19, 2024

Imagine driving through an intersection, and suddenly, a tractor-trailer is in the middle of the road. The driver ran the red light, and you slammed into the side of the trailer. You’ve been in a T-bone truck accident and suffered a severe injury.

Unfortunately, T-bone truck accidents can be extremely dangerous and often fatal to passenger vehicle occupants. You may be entitled to compensation in a lawsuit if a trucker’s negligence causes your injuries. Below, learn all about truck T-bone accidents and speak to a truck accident attorney today if you have additional questions.

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What Is A T-Bone Truck Crash?

A T-bone truck accident involves a commercial vehicle and another vehicle. It happens when one vehicle hits the other at a 90-degree angle, such as at an intersection where the trucker ran a red light. T-bone crashes are also called side impact or broadside accidents. A T-bone accident can occur when the car driver hits the side of the trailer, or the trucker slams into the side of the smaller vehicle.

The huge size and weight disparity between commercial trucks and passenger vehicles makes these accidents even more dangerous. The crash’s impact may be on the side of the car, which offers much less protection in an accident than the front or rear.

T-bone truck accidents often happen at intersections if the truck doesn’t stop or yield the right of way. Truckers must maintain a high duty of care and obey traffic laws to avoid such severe accidents.

A truck driver may be at fault for a T-bone collision if they violated their duty of care and hit you in the accident. You can receive compensation in a truck accident lawsuit if your attorney can prove the other driver caused the accident.

US Truck Accident Statistics

Tractor-trailers are the lifeblood of the US economy. Commercial vehicles deliver most of what we purchase every day. Unfortunately, there are far too many serious and fatal truck accidents in the US every year.

Most serious injuries and deaths in truck accidents occur to people in passenger vehicles because trucks are often 20 to 30 times heavier. Modern commercial trucks usually have safety features, including reinforced cabs and airbags, but accidents can cause devastating injuries to people in smaller vehicles.

Recent truck accident statistics in the US include:

• 4,764 people died in commercial truck crashes in 2022.
• Approximately 9,000 people die in truck T-bone accidents annually.
• T-bone accidents comprise approximately 13 percent of all commercial truck accidents.
• 66 percent of the deaths were to occupants of cars and other types of passenger vehicles.
• 16 percent of truck accident deaths in 2022 were pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists.
• 120,200 commercial trucks were involved in crashes with injuries in 2022, some of which were truck T-bone accidents.

Where And How Do T-Bone Truck Accidents Happen Most?

T-bone crashes involving tractor-trailers can happen almost anywhere, but these are the most common trouble spots:

Intersections

T-bone crashes with trucks happen the most at intersections with stop signs or red lights. A commercial truck driver may be distracted, high, or sleepy, causing them to run the light and cause a T-bone accident. A car driver may slide underneath the side of the trailer and suffer severe or fatal injuries. In the worst case, car occupants can even be decapitated. If that happened to your loved one, you should talk to a truck accident attorney about filing a wrongful death lawsuit.

Speeding 

Speeding is often involved in many T-bone accidents with trucks. Under pressure to get their load to the destination, the trucker may goose the gas to get there faster. This makes it harder to slow down for red lights and stop signs. For example, it takes a fully loaded big rig almost 400 feet to stop when going 65 MPH, and the truck takes almost 200 feet to stop when going 35 MPH.

All it takes is a trucker going a few miles per hour over the speed limit to become distracted, blast through an intersection, and T-bone, an innocent motorist.

Urban Areas

Most T-bone crashes with trucks happen in urban areas with more traffic and intersections. Rural areas have fewer intersections and traffic, making T-bone accidents less common.

A truck driver who causes a T-bone collision in an urban area can involve several vehicles and victims. You should have an experienced truck accident attorney review your case if multiple victims and vehicles were in the accident.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is always a danger on American roads, but it can be disastrous when the driver is behind the wheel of a massive tractor-trailer. The driver can be distracted by a cell phone, GPS, eating or drinking, etc. They may need to notice that they are driving through a stop sign or red light.

Your truck accident attorney can review the trucker’s cell phone records and black box data to see if they were distracted when the crash happened. Not slowing down at all before impact is usually a sign of driver distraction or fatigue.

Bad Weather Conditions

Inclement weather like snow, rain, or ice may reduce traction and visibility. This increases the chances of all auto accidents, including T-bone truck crashes. However, truck drivers are required to drive with a higher duty of care than other drivers. They are trained to drive in bad weather and can drive safely in any condition or pull over until the weather clears.

Speak to a tractor-trailer accident attorney if you think bad weather caused a truck driver to injure you in an accident.

Truck Driver Fatigue

A tired truck driver is one of the worst dangers on American roads. The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) has extensive hours-of-service (HOS) rules that limit how many hours truckers can drive in a row and a week. However, truckers and their employers may push the rules in the name of the almighty dollar.

Many T-bone truck crashes happen because a fatigued driver runs a red light or stop sign, causing an innocent driver to be seriously injured or killed.

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How Will A Truck Accident Attorney Prove Your Case?

Obtaining compensation in a T-bone truck crash means proving negligence. Your attorney will attempt to prove that another party’s negligence caused your accident. The steps to prove negligence in a personal injury claim are:

• The truck driver owed you a duty of care to drive safely, obey the law, and not injure you.
• The driver violated their duty of care, for example, by not stopping at a red light and T-boning your car.
• The breach of duty of care caused you to break your arm and suffer other injuries.
• The injuries cause financial losses, such as medical bills and lost earnings.

A unique aspect of many truck accident claims is there can be several parties liable for the accident. The truck driver is often at fault, but their employer can also be. Other potentially liable parties include the truck maintenance crew, the company that loaded the cargo, and a truck part manufacturer. Your truck accident attorney will ensure that the proper party or parties are held accountable.

Why Do You Need A Truck Accident Attorney After A T-Bone Crash?

Any collision with a truck can trigger devastating injuries, and a T-bone crash is no exception. You should always consult with a truck accident attorney after a T-bone crash caused by the truck driver. The biggest reason is that the injuries you suffer can be catastrophic and expensive, including:

• Head injuries: Picture a massive truck slamming into the side of your car. There are only a few inches of steel and plastic between you and that massive machine. The violent impact can slam into your head and cause a severe head injury that is highly damaging and expensive to treat. 
• Spinal injuries: A violent side impact crash with a truck may also damage your spine, even causing paralysis and other nerve damage. Many people with spine injuries cannot work again and need ongoing care for life, costing millions of dollars. 
• Internal injuries: The violence of the T-bone crash with a truck may tear and damage internal organs and major blood vessels. You also could have damage to your liver, spleen, kidneys, etc. 
• Shattered bones: A T-bone crash with a big rig can shatter bones in the arms, legs, pelvis, chest, etc. 
• Amputation injuries: Many truck accident victims lose their arms or legs in these devastating crashes. 
• Whiplash: A whiplash injury may affect the delicate tissues in the neck, causing months of pain and disability. The violent impact may cause your head to whip back and forth, injuring your neck, tendons, and ligaments. 
• Concussion: A side-impact crash may make your brain slam into the skull and cause a serious concussion. Concussions are challenging to treat and diagnose, and the effects can linger for months.

A truck accident lawyer knows how devastating and expensive a T-bone accident with a big rig can be. They will carefully document the degree of your injuries and financial losses. Then, they will negotiate aggressively with the liable insurance company for the best settlement.

Trucking companies are mandated by law to carry large insurance policies, so there is usually enough money to ensure you are properly compensated. However, only a seasoned truck accident attorney can get the insurance company to compensate you fully. Attempting to settle with a trucking insurance company alone will leave you with less money than you need for maximum recovery.

How To Help Your Truck Accident Attorney Get You More Money

A truck driver ran a red light and T-boned your car. You broke several bones in your arms and legs and can’t work for months. Getting the most money in a personal injury lawsuit is critical for your life and recovery. The first step to getting the most money for your losses is to call a seasoned truck crash attorney today. Next, you can help your personal injury attorney if you remember these tips:

• Never admit fault for the truck accident. It’s understandable if you’re upset after the accident and say more than you should. Some accident victims will even apologize and admit fault when they did nothing wrong. It’s best to say nothing to the truck driver about the fault. Instead, call the police and first responders and say as little as possible. You have serious injuries and need to prove the trucker caused the crash, so don’t say anything that makes your attorney’s job harder.
• Don’t sign anything from the trucking insurance company. It’s common for the insurance company to know their driver was negligent. So, they may try to call you to offer a quick settlement before you call a truck accident lawyer. You should refer any insurance adjuster to your attorney, and don’t sign any legal paperwork they send you. The insurance company works for the carrier; they don’t care about you. Their goal is to minimize what you are paid.
• Don’t agree to settle until you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI). Truck wreck injuries are usually severe. You should not accept any money and close the case until your injuries have healed as much as possible. Your truck accident lawyer won’t commence settlement talks until you reach MMI.
• Don’t try to settle a severe T-bone crash claim alone. You won’t save yourself money by refusing to hire a truck accident attorney. You’ll cost yourself compensation because you will undervalue your claim, as almost every personal injury victim does. 
• Call a truck accident attorney immediately. The sooner you retain a lawyer after a devastating T-bone crash, the better for your case. Many injury victims wait until their claim is denied before calling a lawyer. It’s better to have a lawyer on your case from day one.

Speak To A Truck Accident Attorney Now

Did a truck driver hit and injure you recently in a T-bone crash? A truck accident injury can leave you with a pile of medical bills, out of work, and in great pain. A truck accident attorney may obtain compensation for you in a personal injury lawsuit. Speak to a truck accident lawyer in your area today in a free consultation.

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