Injuries in T-Bone Crashes
On Tuesday, October 24, a young driver lost control of his car and ran a red light near Loop 1604 and FM 1346. He was killed at the scene, after being t-boned by an SUV. T-bone accidents are sadly common and can be among the most destructive to experience, but they are also very likely to result in fatalities. However, due to their lightning-quick time length, it can sometimes be difficult to show that such an accident was foreseeable to the car doing the T-boning.
Injuries Are Most Severe in T-Bone Accidents
Statistics published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that this accident follows patterns established by examining data in that males under the age of 64 tend to suffer the worst injuries in both left and right-side impact accidents, and the figure rises noticeably when one factors in seat belt use (or lack thereof). The upper body is the most affected area, but anywhere from the abdomen and lower limbs up to the top of the head can sustain injury in a non-rollover accident.
The driver of the SUV, meanwhile, sustained only minor injuries, having hit the young man’s car in a front-end collision, in an automobile built more sturdily than the car itself. This also adheres to convention – front-end collisions can cause severe injury, but do so generally less frequently than other types, with the most damage being done to the neck and upper limbs, at least according to the NHTSA data.
Proving Negligence
If you have been injured in a T-bone accident, you would attempt to show the other driver was negligent in much the same manner as any other auto accident in Texas, by proving the existence of a duty of care, a breach of that duty, causation, and tangible damages. Drivers on the road in Texas generally owe each other a duty to exercise due care, and usually, one can examine the facts and determine that but for the defendant’s breach of duty, the accident would never have occurred.
However, there is often an issue in T-bone accidents that can prove problematic, and that is foreseeability. In Texas, a reasonable person must be able to foresee a course of conduct in order for someone to be held liable for its outcome – the rationale is that if someone cannot reasonably foresee potential consequences resulting from a course of action, it would be inequitable to punish them as if they were negligent for what amounts to a freak accident. If, for example, you are in a car accident with another vehicle, such an event is foreseeable. However, if the car was being driven by an underage child seeking help for an emergency, it would be much more difficult to allege such a thing was foreseeable, and thus less likely that you would be able to hold them liable.
Contact a Knowledgeable Attorney
T-bone accidents are extremely dangerous, and carry a high risk of injury and even death. If you have experienced one, it is a good idea to consult an attorney to get a sense of how good your case might be. The talented New Braunfels auto accident lawyers at the Bettersworth Law Firm can try and answer any questions you have, and try to help you decide how best to move forward.
Source:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/crime/article/BCSO-24-year-old-fatally-T-boned-after-running-12304596.php
