This November, a deadly broadside collision occurred in Sevier County. According to ABC 6 Knoxville, Tennessee, a 16-year-old motorist was pulling onto Chapman Highway at around 7:40 a.m. A 39-year-old man traveling south on Chapman Highway ran a red light, hitting the young motorist’s vehicle in the driver door area and killing both the driver and the passenger in the vehicle he hit. The driver who ran the red was cited for disregarding the signal and criminal charges are pending against the driver.
Car accident attorneys in Knoxville know that side impact crashes, or T-bone accidents, are among the deadliest on the roads. Avoiding these crashes is essential and drivers need to make sure they follow driving safety tips to avoid T-bone crashes.
T-Bone Accidents Dangerous for Drivers
T-bone accidents are extremely dangerous for motorists because the side of a vehicle is thin and provides little protection from the impact of the colliding car. T-bone accidents are generally considered to be even more dangerous than head-on crashes because the front hood of a vehicle can crumple and absorb some of the force of an accident while the side of a vehicle cannot.
The severity of a side-impact crash is typically measured by the level of intrusion of the side door that was struck. The more intrusion that occurs, the greater the chances that the stability of the car’s roof will also be impacted and the greater the chances that the driver and passenger will be seriously injured or killed. This helps to explain why side impact crashes cause more than half of all driver deaths in the U.S. even though side impact crashes occur less often than front-impact or head-on accidents.
While some vehicles have side air bags designed to protect against the impact and reduce the chances of a deadly side impact crash, the New York Times reports that side air bags alone don’t provide significant protection in side impact accidents, which the Times describes as the “deadliest type of collision.” In cases where a vehicle is hit by a taller SUV or a pickup truck, side air bags are even less effective at saving lives.
Preventing Side Impact Accidents
With around 10,000 people every year losing their lives in side impact crashes, it is clear that motorists need to do everything they can to avoid this type of collision. For example, drivers should:
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to avoid an accident when you obey the laws and another motorist runs a red light. In these situations, your best chance of surviving the crash is to make sure you have chosen a safe vehicle that got the highest ratings in crash tests that include evaluations of how the vehicles do in side-impact crashes.
If you are injured, personal injury lawyers in Knoxville, TN can help. Contact G. Turner Howard III, Attorney at Law at (844) G3-Help-Me or 865-558-8030.
