A side swipe accident is any accident where one car makes contact with the side of another vehicle. They usually happen when one driver attempts to merge into another driver’s lane, or when one driver cuts the other driver off.
In Kentucky, sideswipe accidents account for 20% of all collisions and 4% of all fatal collisions.
Side swipe accidents are one of the most dangerous types of accidents you could possibly be involved in. The point of impact is often two-fold: the collision itself and the secondary collision that happens when a car spins out of control to hit guardrails, trees, or other vehicles.
They’re even more dangerous when the other vehicle is traveling in the opposite direction, or when the other vehicle is significantly larger than your own.
Side Swipe Case Handled By Our Law Firm
Our team of experts were called to the scene over a serious collision that had occurred on Interstate 65 in Warren County, Kentucky. After photographing the scene and locating witnesses Flora Templeton Stuart met personally with her client who had sustained nasal fractures and a head injury along with hip and thigh pain. As a mother of two children who sustained minor injuries in the collision It was very difficult for her to care for her children so through her PIP benefits we arranged for care in her home during her recovery. The Kentucky Uniformed Police Traffic Collision Report determined that the semi-truck had side swiped her vehicle when it came into her lane on the highway. After several months of investigation and rehabilitation we obtained a settlement of $500,000 for the family. The funds for the children were placed in trust accounts for their future.
What You Should Do After a Side Swipe Accident
If you are injured in a side swipe accident in Kentucky, you should immediately do the following:
- Call 911 to get help from police and ambulance if needed: By Kentucky law you are required to report accidents to a police immediately and not move your vehicle unless you need to move your vehicle for safety reasons. The police will issue a report after they come to the scene. This report is vital in proving that you are not at fault. The police, upon arrival, will question all the drivers and passengers to see what happened including information for insurance. The report is used primarily by insurance companies to determine fault.
- Call an ambulance: If you are severely injured or disoriented or anyone in the accident is injured and need immediate medical attention an ambulance should be called. You can do so by dialing 911. If you are injured you should not drive yourself to the hospital, but let an ambulance take you. It is also very important to document your injuries and reporting immediate medical injuries from an accident is crucial to establishing a case.
- What About the Accident Scene: If it is possible or one of your passengers can do so take pictures of the collision and of the vehicle. Those photos are always extremely helpful in later proving fault. Once you hire our law firm we will go to the scene and take pictures of the scene, skid marks, and the vehicles involved in the collision wherever possible.
- When Should You Call a Side Swipe Car Accident Attorney? You can call us 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get the help you need. We often meet clients at the emergency room when they have been injured in collisions. The sooner you contact an experienced side swipe car accident lawyer the easier it will be to establish your case. It is also important at our law firm to obtain statements from witnesses since the police often do not obtain statements or will not give us the statements that they obtain.
Common Causes of Side Swipe Accidents
Side swipe accidents happen when one driver drifts into the other driver’s lane. They can be traveling in the same direction or in different directions, but the results are equally tragic.
What can cause people to end up in one another’s lanes? Most side swipe accidents are the result of driver error.
- Distracted driving
- Poor timing while merging
- DUI/DWIs
- Driving while tired
- Failure to check the blind spot
- Sudden objects in the road which cause drivers to swerve
- Overcorrecting after a driving error
- Improper turns when there is more than one turn lane
- One driver cuts the other driver off
- Errors while leaving curbside parking spots
- Prevailing road conditions which can hamper visibility, or cause skidding, slipping or sliding while attempting to merge into another lane
Who is at fault for a side swipe accident?
Police will usually assign fault to the vehicle who was leaving their lane of travel. Of course, things get muddier when both cars tried to leave their lane of travel at the same time. In very serious cases with catastrophic injuries our team of experts will include an accident reconstructionist who will travel to the scene and reconstruct the collision to determine who was at fault.
There are also exceptions. The driver who did not leave their lane of travel can be at fault in cases where a driver suddenly sped up as the merging driver attempted to execute the merge.
In some very rare cases, the accident can be caused by a mechanical fault or failure, at which point we’d hold the manufacturer liable.
As long as another party carries the bulk of the negligence for your case, we can help you recover compensation.
Why Call the Law Firm of Flora Templeton Stuart in a Side Swipe Accident?
At Flora Templeton Stuart Accident Injury Lawyers we provide personal representation. This means that you obtain representation from the top attorney who is local and can travel to you if you cannot come to us. Flora has over 47 years of experience representing clients in side swipe accidents. Be sure to call us immediately if you need help.
