Sideswipe Car Accident Lawyer in Dallas, Texas
Sideswipe car accidents, in which the sides of two motor vehicles strike each other, can be particularly dangerous. The side panels of an automobile offer less protection to occupants than a vehicle’s front and rear. Injuries in sideswipe accidents can be serious and lead to significant bills for medical care and property damage, as well as time lost from work.
If you have been injured in a sideswipe accident that someone else caused, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills and other losses. A Dallas car accident lawyer at Kraft & Associates, P.C., can help you seek justice. For more than 50 years, our attorneys have been fighting on behalf of injured Texans, including drivers and passengers who have been injured in sideswipe accidents caused by negligent drivers.
Our approach to car accident claims is to work aggressively to seek maximum compensation while making the process of pursuing a claim as easy for our clients as possible. We want you to be able to focus on recovering from your injuries while we handle the legal issues. Further, you won’t pay any upfront costs to have quality legal representation. We won’t charge any legal fees unless we recover money for you.
Contact Kraft & Associates, P.C., at (214) 999-9999 or fill out our online form to schedule your free legal consultation with an experienced Dallas car accident lawyer. At Kraft & Associates, P.C., we concentrate on your medical and financial recovery.
What To Do After a Sideswipe Accident
As soon as possible after being hurt in a sideswipe accident, you should get medical attention and follow the doctor’s treatment plan. In addition to receiving needed care, seeing a doctor documents your injury for an insurance claim.
After suffering a car accident injury, you or someone helping you should:
- Write down what you remember about the accident and how it happened.
- Write down contact information for witnesses, including for passengers in your vehicle.
- Keep copies of all medical bills, repair estimates, and other bills and receipts related to the accident and your injuries.
- Order a copy of the crash report from the local law enforcement agency that initially responded to the accident.
- Report the accident to your insurer, but do not provide a recorded statement or allow access to your medical records.
- Do not post photos or comments about the accident online, and do not discuss the accident or your injuries on social media.
- Do not accept a settlement offer before speaking with a car accident attorney.
What Is a Sideswipe Accident and its Most Common Causes?
A sideswipe accident occurs when the sides of two vehicles strike each other. A sideswipe is often thought of as a glancing blow, but a sideswipe collision may include forceful and sustained contact, as well. Vehicles in a sideswipe accident may be traveling in the same or opposite directions when they collide.
Sideswipe accidents are also known as lane-change accidents. They often occur after one vehicle has attempted to merge into another lane of traffic:
- An inattentive or impaired driver may allow their vehicle to drift out of its lane and into a passing vehicle.
- An inattentive or impaired driver attempting to change lanes or merge into traffic may fail to check mirrors and blind spots adequately and collide with a nearby vehicle.
- A driver who has taken a curve or a turn too fast may lose control and cross into an adjacent lane and sideswipe one or more vehicles. Driving too fast for conditions on wet or icy roads can lead to a sideswipe accident.
- Teens and other inexperienced drivers sometimes over-correct after momentarily slipping off of the edge of the roadway or out of their lane and steer their vehicles into sideswipe accidents.
- Occasionally, a flat tire or an automotive defect causes a driver to lose control of their vehicle and get into a sideswipe collision.
A motorist whose vehicle has been sideswiped can easily lose control of their vehicle and get into a second collision. In high-speed sideswipe accidents or when a significantly heavier vehicle sideswipes a smaller vehicle, the car that has been hit may be forced into a second collision.
If someone else caused a sideswipe accident that left you seriously injured, you may be able to seek compensation from them. A car accident lawyer with Kraft & Associates, P.C. can examine the circumstances of a sideswipe accident in Dallas or North Texas and discuss a possible sideswipe accident injury claim.
Compensation Available After a Sideswipe Accident in Texas
You should not suffer financial harm because of an accident caused by someone else’s negligence. Texas law allows an injured party to seek compensation to make up for actual monetary losses and for pain and suffering they have been unjustly put through.
After a sideswipe accident, Kraft & Associates, P.C. may be able to recover compensation for your:
- Past and future medical bills
- Past and future lost income
- Past and future lost earning capacity
- Inability to perform normal household duties such as yard maintenance due to the injury
- Past and future pain and suffering
- Past and future mental anguish
- Past and future physical impairment
- Past and future disfigurement
- Loss of a body member or mental function (arm, leg, sight, hearing, etc.)
- Loss of consortium.
In cases of gross negligence by the defendant, punitive damages may be sought.
Who Is at Fault in a Sideswipe Accident?
Most sideswipe accidents are caused by driver error. Driver negligence may take the form of:
- Driving while distracted.
- Driving aggressively, such as speeding and/or making unsafe lane changes.
- Driving while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or fatigue.
Your attorney with Kraft & Associates, P.C. will use all of our firm’s resources and experience to determine the fault in your sideswipe accident and to help you move forward on the road to recovery. Our legal team conducts thorough investigations of accidents, which include:
- Visiting the scene of the collision
- Obtaining police reports related to the accident
- Speaking with witnesses
- Assessing vehicle and accident scene damage
- Obtaining data from crashed vehicles’ event data recorders
- Obtaining surveillance video of the accident when available
- Consulting with accident reconstruction specialists.
When we are able to demonstrate fault, we can present a demand letter to the responsible auto insurance company stating the compensation necessary to make our client whole. This may lead to negotiations and an appropriate settlement, or we may need to file a lawsuit and pursue your claim in court. Either way, we will work to build a strong and persuasive case for compensation to you.
Common Injuries in Sideswipe Accidents
Drivers and passengers in a vehicle that has been sideswiped may be injured by the initial collision between the vehicles and by secondary impacts within the vehicle, such as by being slammed into a door frame and/or side window. It is possible for a sideswiped vehicle to be forced into a second collision with another vehicle or a fixed object, such as a signpost, tree, or guardrail.
Most sideswipe accident injuries are caused by blunt force trauma and/or being violently shaken by the impact of the crash. Injuries commonly suffered in sideswipe accidents include:
- Broken bones, especially in arms, ribs, hips, and legs. Serious arm fractures, dislocations, and/or amputations have occurred in sideswipe accidents when a driver or passenger has had an elbow resting on the door frame and protruding out of a window of the vehicle struck.
- Head or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Neck injuries, including whiplash
- Back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries, which may cause paralysis
- Internal organ damage, including internal bleeding
- Lacerations (cuts) and contusions (bruises).
Serious injuries often require emergency medical care followed by hospitalization, one or more surgical procedures, convalescence, and physical rehabilitation. Your medical expenses and losses due to a serious car accident injury may be recovered in a personal injury claim. After a fatal sideswipe accident in the Dallas area, Kraft & Associates, P.C. may be able to help family members pursue a wrongful death claim.
Schedule an Appointment with Our Experienced Car Accident Lawyers
The car accident lawyers at Kraft & Associates, P.C., are dedicated to helping our clients hold drivers who caused their injuries accountable for their negligence. Recovering the compensation that our injured clients deserve is our primary goal. Our injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means clients don’t owe us a legal fee unless our efforts for them are successful.
If you have been injured in a sideswipe accident that was another driver’s fault, Kraft & Associates, P.C., can help you demand maximum compensation for your medical expenses and other losses. Please contact us using our online form or by calling (214) 999-9999 today for a free, no-obligation legal consultation with an experienced Dallas car accident lawyer.