Car accidents can happen for any number of reasons and in any number of ways. When drivers are careless, reckless, intoxicated, or distracted they can, and do, cause accidents. These accidents injure and take the lives of many people every single year. While the number of deaths and injuries has declined overall in the past twenty years or so, there are still a considerable number of people who get hurt or die on the roadways of America each year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2014, nationwide, there were over 32,000 people killed in motor vehicle crashes and 2.3 million people were injured. The District of Columbia had the least number of people die in motor vehicle crashes, while Texas had the most. 488 people died in Colorado.
What is a Sideswipe Accident?
There is a wide range of accidents that a motor vehicle can be involved in. Cars can hit each other at any number of angles and for any number of reasons. Some of the accident types that a person can get into include: rear-end accidents, head-on collisions, T-bone accidents, and rollover accidents.
Another type of accident that drivers can experience is a sideswipe accident. Sideswipe accidents occur when the side of a car strikes the side of another. These accidents can occur when both cars are traveling in the same direction or when the vehicles are traveling in opposite directions. The amount of damage and injury that these accidents can cause varies depending on how the accident occurred. For example, a sideswipe accident could cause minimal damage such as a few dents and paint marks. By contrast, a sideswipe accident could cause serious injury, or even death, if the car that was hit gets pushed into other cars, oncoming traffic, or off the road.
These accidents can occur, again, for any number of reasons. A driver who is not paying attention may drift into another lane and strike the vehicle next time them. Or a driver could move to switch lanes and fail to check to make sure the lane is clear or fail to check their blind spot.
Regardless of how an accident happens, if the driver who sideswiped you was negligent, you can hold that driver accountable for their careless actions.
Negligence And Motor Vehicle Accidents
Many personal injury cases, including sideswipe accident cases, use the legal theory of negligence in order to establish liability. If you can establish that the person failed to use the appropriate standard of care applicable in a given situation, then you may be able to hold that person liable for negligence and recover compensation for your injuries or damage to your property. For example, a driver who is texting and drifts into your lane, sideswiping your car, is likely not using reasonable care in the operation of their vehicle. Therefore, that driver could be held liable for any damages that you incurred as a result of his or her negligence.
Contact A Car Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured because another driver sideswiped you, please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Jeremy Rosenthal. Jeremy has been practicing car accident law in Colorado for over a decade. Let his experience and knowledge work for you. He offers a free consultation to all potential clients. Call his office today at (303) 825-2223.