How is Fault Determined in a T-Bone Car Accident in Massachusetts?
Even when fault seems clear to you after a T-bone crash in Massachusetts, having our lawyers collect evidence and reconstruct the collision is important to prove liability in court.
Our lawyers may use various tactics to determine fault for T-bone accidents, starting with reviewing police reports. These documents will note the involved parties’ information and possible contributing factors, so our attorneys will get crash reports immediately. We will also review any photos you took at the scene showing where the negligent driver hit your vehicle. Impact points indicate the type of accident, so a T-bone crash would likely leave damage to the side of your car. Using such evidence and eyewitness statements, our attorneys can work with experts to reconstruct accidents to strengthen compensation claims. Quickly determining fault is crucial, as victims have a limited time to file lawsuits after accidents.
For a free and confidential case assessment from the Law Office of John J. Sheehan, call our Boston car accident lawyers at (617) 925-6407.
How to Determine Fault After T-Bone Car Accidents in Massachusetts
While T-bone accidents can appear cut and dry, further investigation is crucial to preserve evidence proving the negligent diver’s fault so you can get the compensatory damages you deserve.
Review Police Reports
T-bone accidents are typically very serious, often leaving victims with bad neck and back injuries, as well as deep lacerations and broken bones. Getting immediate medical attention should be your top priority; calling the police can facilitate that. In addition to ensuring you get the appropriate attention from emergency medical services, police officers can help compile important information about the collision. Officers will take the involved parties’ names and insurance information and describe the accident’s conditions and events. We can help you get the resulting report from the appropriate local police department in the following days and review it for pertinent details.
Review Accident Photos
T-bone accidents often happen at intersections, and law enforcement might quickly move vehicles out of the way to avoid endangering others on the road. Because of this, the scene may not remain intact for long, giving you little time to document and preserve it. Taking photos is one of the best things you can do after a T-bone accident, as photos can indicate fault and speak to the collision’s events. Photograph the final landing point of your car in relation to the negligent driver’s vehicle. Be sure to document any visible property damage or debris on the road, as this could indicate liability as well. When taking photos is challenging for victims after traumatic T-bone crashes, they can ask first responders and witnesses for assistance.
Interview Eyewitnesses
Because intersections are common locations for T-bone crashes, there could be a greater chance of eyewitnesses being present. In fact, witnesses might even stop and offer aid after seeing devastating collisions take place. When this happens, victims can request eyewitnesses’ contact information. If you are unable to speak to witnesses at the scene, we may learn their identities from the crash report we obtain from law enforcement.
T-bone accidents typically happen because one driver ignores another’s right of way, like at a stoplight or major intersection. The result is the negligent driver’s car hitting the side of the victim’s vehicle, increasing the chance of the victim suffering crushing injuries or others that are similarly distressing. When interviewing eyewitnesses, our lawyers will ask about the negligent driver’s actions, such as if they appeared to be speeding or running through a stoplight right before they hit you. Even after witnessing terrible accidents, their memories could fade with time. The sooner we interview eyewitnesses, the more impactful their statements may be to the jury when weighing liability, so we will prioritize scheduling interviews immediately.
Reconstruct the Accident
Reconstructing accidents with help from qualified experts can allow our lawyers to pinpoint a T-bone crash’s cause in court. At the start of your case, we can involve experts to review the cumulative physical evidence, police reports, photos, and eyewitness statements. These experts use complex principles and equations to calculate each driver’s speed and direction of travel. A major impact point to the side of your vehicle would indicate you were T-boned, and typically, this happens because of a driver’s negligent conduct, like speeding through a red light.
Accident reconstruction could be the leverage we need to get better out-of-court settlements so that victims do not have to go to trial to recover the damages they require. Our Massachusetts car accident lawyers can ensure experts have the necessary evidence and information to assess by preserving crucial documents, photos, and statements at the start of your case.
How Long Do You to Determine Fault for a Massachusetts T-Bone Accident?
Our attorneys will have three years to identify the at-fault party in your case and file a lawsuit against them. Before that happens, we must confirm you have passed the serious injury threshold in Massachusetts.
Victims can only get non-economic damages from at-fault drivers when their medical damages exceed $2,000 or if they have suffered a specific injury listed under Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 231, § 6D. Because T-bone accidents pose a substantial risk of serious injuries, victims’ hospital expenses typically exceed this amount, enabling them to sue for all losses they have incurred. We will need medical records and physician statements to convince the court of this, which we can compile soon after the crash.
Even if you immediately know the other driver is at fault, your case might get delayed as you focus on your physical recovery. Our attorneys can help prevent that by focusing primarily on your lawsuit to eliminate the risk of you missing the filing deadline and complications associated with delayed financial recoveries. We’ll aim to file much sooner than the three-year deadline to facilitate a swift out-of-court settlement or jury award.
Call Our Car Crash Attorneys in Massachusetts for Help Today
To discuss your case for free with the Law Office of John J. Sheehan’s Lynnfield, MA car accident lawyers, call (617) 925-6407.