Filing a Car Accident Claim After Your Sideswipe Collision

When talking about the most dangerous types of car accidents, sideswipe collisions don’t usually make the list. These types of accidents, however, can cause a significant amount of damage and serious injuries, especially in collisions between two vehicles of different sizes. For these reasons, Florida residents who are involved in these types of crashes should consider contacting an experienced Fort Lauderdale auto accident lawyer who can help them seek compensation for their losses.

Defining Sideswipe Collisions

Sideswipe collisions occur when two vehicles, usually traveling in the same direction, scrape alongside each other. Although these types of accidents are notorious for causing a significant amount of vehicle damage, few realize that they can also cause serious injuries. This is an especially high risk for those whose collisions involve two vehicles of drastically different sizes, as it is the swiping vehicle’s speed, size, and force of impact that determine the severity of potential injuries.

Common Causes

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), human error is responsible for 94 percent of all car accidents. Sideswipe accidents are no exception and in fact, are almost always the result of at least one motorist’s negligence, often when changing lanes. Failing to compensate for blind spots and failing to check the rearview mirror are some of the most commonly reported examples of this type of conduct. Most of these accidents occur between two vehicles that are traveling in the same direction, usually in parallel lanes. These are, however, not the only kinds of circumstances in which these collisions occur, as many sideswipe crashes occur when:

• An oncoming vehicle scrapes alongside another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction when avoiding a head-on collision;
• A driver tries to avoid a forward threat that could result in a crash;
• A driver sideswipes another vehicle in an intersection when attempting to turn;
• A motorist scrapes alongside a parked vehicle before it can enter the stream of traffic; or
• A driver misjudges the amount of available maneuvering space when trying to merge in front of another car.

Whatever the cause, sideswipe collisions almost always involve at least one person’s negligence, meaning that seriously injured car accident victims could be entitled to damages.

Extensive Damage and Serious Injuries

Although sideswipe accidents can involve only a glancing blow between vehicles, they often have a much more forceful impact. This is especially true when one of the vehicles is much larger than the other, as this can result in the reinforced sides or bumper of the larger vehicle coming into contact with the smaller car’s windows and non-reinforced upper areas. Even when two vehicles are approximately the same height, both cars could sustain significant damage if there is full side engagement between the cars, and any of the vehicle’s occupants could potentially sustain shoulder or neck injuries, hearing loss, or concussions.

Contact Our Office Today

Although vehicle safety enhancements have helped minimize the effects of sideswipe accidents, these types of collisions still occur and can have serious repercussions. Please contact Boone & Davis at 954-566-9919 to speak with one of our experienced car accident attorneys about collecting compensation for your own sideswipe accident-related losses.

Resource:

https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812115

https://www.booneanddavislaw.com/treating-whiplash-injuries/