T-bone accidents, which occur when one vehicle collides with the side of another, are the most common and most dangerous type of crash.
When you are involved in a side-impact/T-bone car accident in Summerlin, contact the attorneys at Shook & Stone immediately. They are skilled legal professionals who could protect your rights through the investigation process and ensure you receive appropriate compensation for your injuries after a serious car crash.
Side-Impact Crashes Result From Negligence
One vehicle cannot collide with the side of another unless one of the drivers makes a mistake or a mechanical problem with one of the vehicles prevents it from stopping in time. The other possibilities are that a stop light was malfunctioning, a stop sign was hidden, or some kind of obstruction made it unclear who had the right of way.
All of these scenarios involve negligence, a term that, in the legal context, means failing to take appropriate measures to protect the safety of others and causing harm through that failure. Under Nevada’s fault-based car accident claims system, someone injured in a collision must demonstrate that their injury occurred due to another party’s negligence.
A lawyer on Shook & Stone’s Summerlin car accident team could investigate to identify parties whose negligence contributed to the T-bone collision. Depending on the circumstances, responsible parties could include other drivers, vehicle manufacturers, and local governments responsible for maintaining roads and traffic control devices. When the wreck was caused by a drunk and underage driver, the person or business responsible for serving alcohol to them could have liability.
Comparative Negligence Can Impact Damages
Sometimes, more than one party bears responsibility for a side-impact crash. For example, if one driver rolled through a stop sign and was hit by a speeding car, the actions of both drivers might have contributed to the accident. When one of the drivers is injured, the insurance companies usually negotiate to determine the allocation of fault. When a case goes to trial, the jury decides how much blame each driver has for the incident.
The allocation of responsibility is important because Nevada Revised Statutes § 41.141 says that someone who is primarily responsible for an accident cannot collect compensation from others who were involved. However, when the injured person’s portion of blame is less than or equal to that of other negligent parties, the injured person can collect reduced damages. For example, an injured driver who was 40 percent to blame can collect 60 percent of their damages from other responsible parties, but if the injured driver was 60 percent to blame, they could collect nothing.
The allocation of responsibility is often a subject of intense negotiations. Engaging the Summerlin attorneys at Shook & Stone soon after a side-impact or T-bone accident allows them to be involved in these negotiations. They can advocate for an injured driver’s position and ensure they do not bear more than their fair portion of responsibility.
Compensation in T-Bone Crash Cases
Being involved in a car crash is expensive. Anyone who is not primarily responsible for the collision can collect compensation—the legal term is damages—from the parties who were at fault.
An injured person is entitled to reimbursement for their financial losses, which include:
- Medical bills
- Property damage
- Reduced income
- Incidental expenses
They can also demand compensation for their non-economic losses, such as physical pain, emotional suffering, and diminished quality of life.
A qualified legal professional at our Summerlin office could help you and your family calculate and document your losses. They could then work diligently to ensure you receive the necessary compensation from the responsible parties to help you recover.
Speak With a Summerlin Attorney to Pursue Damages After a Side-Impact/T-Bone Accident
Car accident claims can get complicated. Side-impact crashes often lead to a debate about who was most at fault. Being on the losing side of that conversation could mean you cannot collect compensation.
Our team at Shook & Stone is skilled at obtaining fair compensation for people involved in side-impact/T-bone car accidents in Summerlin, Rhodes Ranch, Sovana, and Sun City. Reach out today to get a capable lawyer working for you.
