How Fault Works in Rear-End and T-Bone Car Crashes
Rear-end and T-bone collisions come up again and again in injury claims. The name of the crash describes how the vehicles met, but it does not settle who was at fault. An auto accident lawyer reviewing these crashes usually begins with the sequence of events, from the speed of each car to the signals that controlled the intersection.
How rear-end collisions happen
Many state traffic codes prohibit following another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, with attention to the speed of traffic and the condition of the road. Distraction is a frequent factor. NHTSA explains that sending or reading a text takes a driver's eyes off the road for 5 seconds, which at 55 mph is like driving the length of a football field with eyes closed. A car crash lawyer will sometimes request the other driver's phone records if distraction is suspected.
The trailing driver is often found at fault in a rear-end crash, but that is not automatic. A car that cuts in and brakes suddenly, brake lights that do not work or a vehicle backing up may shift part or all of the fault. In a multi-vehicle pileup, every impact is its own event, and a middle car pushed into the car ahead may not be at fault for that second impact.
Whiplash and soft tissue injuries
Rear-end impacts are often linked to whiplash, a neck injury caused by a rapid back-and-forth movement of the head. Neck pain and headaches may not show up until hours after the crash, which is one reason prompt medical care matters. Insurance companies sometimes challenge injury claims after low-speed rear-end crashes, pointing to light vehicle damage. Medical records and photos of both vehicles help answer that argument, along with imaging such as an MRI when a doctor orders one.
Why side-impact crashes happen
In a T-bone crash, the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another, most often at an intersection. Typical causes include failing to yield on a left turn and running a red light or a stop sign. The sides of a car have less room to absorb crash forces than the front or rear, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) evaluates side protection in its own side-impact crash test. Occupants on the struck side can suffer serious injuries, including traumatic brain injury and pelvic fractures.
These crashes often turn on who had the right of way. Useful evidence includes signal timing records, intersection camera video, nearby business surveillance footage, dashcam video and witness statements, plus the event data recorder (EDR) in each car, which may hold speed and braking data from the seconds before the crash. An auto accident attorney typically moves quickly to collect video, since many systems overwrite footage within days or weeks.
Comparative negligence in these crashes
Fault is often shared. Most states use some version of comparative negligence, which reduces a recovery by the injured person's percentage of fault. Under modified comparative negligence, a person found at least 50 or 51 percent at fault, depending on the state, may recover nothing, while pure comparative negligence allows a reduced recovery at any level of fault. A small number of jurisdictions still follow contributory negligence, which can bar recovery for any fault at all. A car accident attorney can explain which rule applies where the crash happened.
Deadlines and general information
Each state sets its own statute of limitations for injury claims, and claims against a government agency can require written notice much sooner. This is general information and not legal advice, and no article can predict how a claim will turn out.