Side Impact Accident Lawyers 

With approximately 6.5 million vehicles registered throughout the state, car accidents may be inevitable in Indiana, where 3,307 Hoosiers were injured and 949 were killed in crashes in 2022 alone.

Car accidents can take many forms, though some of the most damaging are T-bone or side impact collisions, in which the front of one vehicle hits the side of another vehicle. Anyone seated at the point of contact could incur punishing, sometimes lethal injuries. Side impact accidents were responsible for 22 percent of vehicle casualties in 2021, though even the survivors of these incidents may face significant hardships that could leave them teetering on the brink of ruin.

While financial recovery may be possible if you get hurt in a side impact accident, success is not guaranteed. To tip the odds in your favor, consider turning to the Indiana car accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group, who have been advocating for the innocent victims of negligence for over a quarter century.

You can schedule a no-cost consultation with a dedicated Indiana side impact accident lawyer today by calling or texting us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form.

Causes of Side Impact Accidents

Most side impact accidents occur when a driver neglects to yield the right of way, frequently though not necessarily while violating a traffic control signal at an intersection.

In some instances, external factors may keep a car from yielding in time to steer clear of a side impact accident, such as mechanical problems like tire blowouts or locked brakes, road hazards like oil spills or loose gravel, and poor weather conditions like rain or snow.

Nonetheless, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that driver errors make up 94 percent of the “critical reasons” resulting in crashes, and that holds true for T-bone collisions as well. Examples of misconduct that could bring about a side impact accident may include:

Traveling too fast – Drivers who speed have less time to react and need more time to slow down, which could keep them from halting before striking another vehicle.

Distracted driving – Distraction is the second leading driver-based contributor to auto accidents. Cellphone use has grown into a major source of distracted driving in recent years and is associated with 12 percent of crashes nationwide.

Intoxication – Despite stiffer penalties and pervasive public awareness campaigns, drunk driving remains a top cause of traffic casualties and injuries, including in Indiana, where a DUI arrest is made every 11.98 hours. Intoxication can hinder a driver’s judgment and reflexes, who could make that individual far likelier to disregard both the law and common sense.

Fatigue – Though drowsy driving gets nowhere near the news coverage that drunk driving does, it can sometimes be as dangerous. In fact, one study found that going more than 20 hours without sleep can induce the same level of impairment as a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent, the threshold for intoxication in Indiana. Every year in the United States, fatigue behind the wheel is linked to 800 deaths, 50,000 injuries, and 100,000 motor vehicle accidents of all types, including side impact accidents.

Our Indiana side impact accident attorneys are available to analyze the circumstances leading up to your injury and determine whether you have grounds to pursue a case.

How to Prevent a Side Impact Accident

Given how serious the injuries sustained in side impact accidents can be, it is vital to try to avoid getting into them if you can. Fortunately, there are numerous steps you could take that may allow you to either prevent a side impact accident altogether or minimize the subsequent harm. Specifically, you could:

Observe traffic control signals – Drivers who ignore stop signs and red lights are prone to T-boning vehicles or getting T-boned by them.

Maintain a proper speed – Do not exceed the speed limit and be prepared to go below it when riding on surfaces with compromised traction.

Stay sober and get your rest – Because the perils of drunkenness and drowsiness are no secret, you have no excuse for becoming a statistic by climbing into the driver’s seat when you are not completely sober and completely awake.

Approach intersections carefully – Side impact accidents primarily take place within intersections, so you should approach them carefully even if you have the right of way, looking in both directions for oncoming vehicles before you proceed.

Pay attention – You should also pay attention to your surroundings at all times, not just at intersections, since you never know when an inattentive or reckless driver could come at you.

Wear a seatbelt – A seatbelt may not avert a side impact accident, but wearing a seatbelt can keep you from getting catastrophically hurt in one. The NHTSA estimates that seatbelts curtail moderate to critical injuries for a car’s front seat occupants by 50 percent and fatalities for that group by 45 percent. Make sure the passengers in the back wear seatbelts as well, and do not forget to restrain any babies and small children in appropriately sized car or booster seats.

Purchase vehicles wisely – While it may not be economically feasible to buy a new car solely to protect yourself in a T-bone accident, you may want to shop for vehicles in the future that are equipped with features that cushion against side impacts, such as side-door airbags.

By following these guidelines and exercising basic caution, you may be able to circumvent side impact accidents entirely or at least walk away from them.

How Our Indiana Side Impact Accident Attorneys Can Make a Difference

Safety is of the utmost importance, though the reality is that a side impact accident may still happen no matter what you do, and the consequences can be extreme, with or without seatbelts or airbags. Seemingly overnight, you could have trouble merely making ends meet, much less acquiring the resources to satisfy the new demands on your wallet.

You need attorneys with the compassion to support you during your struggles and the skill to overcome them. You need the Indiana side impact accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group, who won’t let the intimidation tactics of insurance companies block a client’s path to justice.

If you hire Hensley, we will conduct an exhaustive investigation into your side impact accident and everyone who may be culpable for it, which may not always be apparent in these sorts of collisions, sometimes devolving into situations in which both sides insist on diametrically opposed versions of the same event. However, our Indiana side impact accident lawyers are highly proficient at resolving cases with heavily disputed liability and will act swiftly to amass the evidentiary materials required to build your claim, such as: 

Police reports

Citations and dispositions

Crash scene photos

Dash cam, streetlight, and surveillance footage

Black box data

Witness statements

Phone records

Driving histories

Vehicular servicing logs

Forensic analysis and accident reconstruction

After putting together an airtight case, we will endeavor to negotiate a settlement that reflects the full spectrum of your losses, including: 

Medical bills

Lost wages

Pain and suffering

Psychological and emotional trauma

Diminished quality of living

Mobility limitations

Loss of consortium

Punitive and wrongful death damages (if applicable)

And unlike many of our competitors, who rarely, if ever, venture inside a courtroom, we are not afraid to go to trial if we do not receive an offer that is worthy of your case.

No two side impact accidents are exactly alike, but we will strive to get you the maximum compensation for yours.

You Won’t Pay Until We Win 

If you are reluctant to agree to more expenditures at this moment, you should know that our firm works on a contingency basis.  This means that you won’t have to pay us anything until our Indiana side impact accident attorneys win your case. 

Hensley is willing to take on all of the risks involved in making you whole again.

Reach Out to Our Indiana Side Impact Accident Lawyers

Hensley Legal Group has been fighting for the everyday people of Indiana since 1998.  If you have been injured through no fault of your own, reach out to our Indiana side impact accident lawyers to explore your legal options. 

Please call or text us at (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or fill out our contact form for a free case review with an accomplished Indiana side impact attorney. 