The danger of side-impact collisions or broadside accidents has been recognized for decades in this country, not only by safety agencies and advocates of accident victims and their families but by federal regulators and car makers, as well. Under federal law, for instance, “side impact protection” is to be prioritized by vehicle manufacturers to protect occupants with safeguards like side curtain air bags. See, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 214 (49 C.F.R. Parts 571 and 585).
Testing For Decades Has Not Removed the Risk of Fatal Side-Impact Accidents
Testing has been routinely performed to try and reduce the likelihood of death in a side-impact crash for almost two decades. Since 2003, crash tests to try and make motor vehicles safer in the event of a side-impact collision have been done both by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (“IIHS”) as well as the federal government through its New Car Assessment Program.
Despite common knowledge of the risk of a deadly side-impact crash, these types of accidents, involving either a semi-truck and/or two smaller motor vehicles, reportedly remain the cause of almost a quarter (23%) of all fatal motor vehicle accidents in this country.
In response, the IIHS has increased its testing protocols to try and determine ways to make our roads safer from deadly side-impact crashes. Read, “IIHS Side Impact Crash Tests Are About to Get Much Harder and a Lot Heavier,” written by Stef Schrader and published by The Drive on November 22, 2019. Of particular concern is how the trend toward heavier and larger motor vehicles may impact the likelihood of fatality in a side-impact crash. Today’s dually trucks, for instance, are not only higher off the ground but heavier and more powerful than the traditional pickups of yesteryear.
As research continues, today’s reality is that anyone in a vehicle being driven along the roads of Indiana or Illinois faces an unacceptably high risk of a severe bodily injury if they become victims of a side-impact accident. Moreover, statistics warn us that around one-fourth of our area’s fatal motor vehicle accidents involve this type of collision.
Side Impact Accidents: Sideswipes and T-Bone Crashes
Two different types of collisions come under the banner of “side-impact accidents” regardless of the type of motor vehicle involved: (1) sideswipes and (2) T-Bone crashes. The critical factor in both these types of broadside incidents is the fact that the occupants have much less protection from the impact of the side-impact crash when the side of the vehicle is hit.
Far-Side versus Near-Side Impact Collisions
Another key aspect in the severity of side-impact accidents is where the occupants are seated when the collision occurs. In a “far-side-impact” crash, the occupant is on the opposite side of the vehicle from where it is being hit. In a “near-side-impact” crash, the victim is seated on the same side of the vehicle as the impact. See, e.g., Flannagan, Carol AC, et al. “Comparing motor-vehicle crash risk of EU and US vehicles.” Accident Analysis & Prevention 117 (2018): 392-397.
Occupants in “near-side-impact” collisions are much more likely to suffer permanent harm (brain trauma, spinal cord injury) than those who are involved in a “far-side-impact” accident.
What is a Sideswipe Accident?
A sideswipe side-impact accident involves two motor vehicles coming into contact with each other when at least one of them is moving (at any rate of speed) with the sides of both vehicles colliding together. The vehicles are parallel at the time of impact, both facing the same direction or alternatively, facing opposite directions. Hence the term, “sideswipe.”
Sideswipes are considered less likely to cause deadly harm than the “T-Bone” side-impact crash. However, sideswipes can have fatal consequences with the force of the impact causing one or both vehicles to rollover, or to collide with another vehicle by being forced into its lane of traffic.
What is a T-Bone Accident?
In a side-impact accident where the angle of the motor vehicles is not parallel to each other, but instead at a ninety-degree (90°) angle, then the collision is usually much more severe than a sideswipe and most often deadly. These side-impact crashes have come to be known as “T-Bone accidents” in reference to their characteristic angle of impact, where one vehicle collides head-on (or rear-ends) into the side of another vehicle.
T-Bone Accidents involving a semi-truck, big rig, tractor-trailer, or 18-wheeler, crashing into a smaller 4-wheeler (sedan, SUV, minivan, pickup) can be some of the deadliest commercial truck crashes with multiple occupant fatalities. This can happen even if the semi is traveling at a somewhat low rate of speed, given the disproportionate weight and height of the commercial rig with the smaller passenger vehicle.
- For more on catastrophic accidents, read: What are Catastrophic Injuries? Severe Bodily Harm Suffered by Accident Survivors in Indiana and Illinois.
Causes of Side-Impact Accidents: Liability for a Fatal T-Bone or Sideswipe Crash
A number of driving errors or mistakes can result in a tragic fatal side-impact collision. A driver of a smaller vehicle may turn into the path of a moving semi-truck without consideration of the trucker’s speed, or recognition of the amount of time it takes to bring a fully-loaded tractor-trailer to a stop. This may be driver error caused by drowsy driving, driving under the influence, or driver inexperience. For more, read:
- Blind Spots and Fatal Semi-Truck Accidents
- Speeding and Serious or Fatal Semi-Truck Crashes in Illinois or Indiana
- Speeding Causes Almost Half of All Fatal Car Crashes in Illinois (Around 25% in Indiana)
- Drowsy Driving and the Risk of Fatal Traffic Accidents in Indiana and Illinois
- Teen Drivers and Fatal Car Accidents: High Risk in Indiana and Illinois.
Winter weather hazards, particularly the severe snow and ice conditions facing drivers in Indiana and Illinois, can cause one or more drivers to lose control of their motor vehicles with a side-impact crash as a result. For more, read:
- Winter Weather Fatal Truck Crashes on Indiana and Illinois Roads
- Winter Weather Accidents: Ice And Snow On Roads Of Indiana And Illinois.
Bad repair and maintenance of a motor vehicle can result in a side-impact crash if the tires lack enough tread to hold the road, or if faulty brakes fail. Read:
- Tires and Fatal Auto Accidents: Duty of Care for Tire Upkeep and Maintenance
- Brakes and Fatal Auto Accidents: Duty of Care for Brake Upkeep and Maintenance
- Unrepaired Recalls in 25% of the Cars on Our Roads Today: Legal Duty of Manufacturer versus Owner of the Vehicle in a Fatal Car Crash.
When there has been a serious or deadly side-impact accident in Indiana or Illinois, state laws provide avenues for justice to the accident victims and their loved ones based upon claims of negligence, negligent supervision, product liability, workers’ compensation, and wrongful death laws.
Those driving on the roads of Indiana and Illinois must face the hazards of severe winter weather each year combined with the heavier commercial truck traffic that moves along our interstates since our area is a national freight transportation hub. There is a greater risk of a severe or fatal side-impact accident here than in other parts of the country. Please be careful out there!
