08 November 2026
What a Car Accident Lawyer Looks at After a Rear-End or T-Bone Crash
Presented by @paxtonkgwc158
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 decide who was at fault. An auto accident lawyer reviewing these crashes usually begins with the sequence of events, from each car's speed to the signals that controlled traffic.
How rear-end collisions happen
Many state traffic laws bar drivers from following another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, taking into account the speed of traffic and the condition of the road. Distracted https://caraccidentlawyers.wiki/reference/crash-reports/ driving is a common factor. NHTSA notes 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 accident attorney 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 vehicle that cuts in and stops short, brake lights that do not work or a vehicle backing up may shift part or all of the fault. In a chain-reaction crash, each impact is a separate event, and a middle vehicle pushed forward may not be responsible for the second impact.
Whiplash and soft tissue injuries
Rear-end impacts are often linked to whiplash, a neck injury caused by the head snapping back and forth. 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, citing minor 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.
What causes T-bone crashes
In a T-bone crash, the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another, usually 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. People seated on the struck side can suffer serious injuries such as traumatic brain injury or pelvic fractures.
Disputes in these crashes often come down to who had the right of way. Useful evidence includes signal timing records, intersection camera video, nearby business surveillance footage, dashcam video and witness statements, as well as the event data recorder (EDR) in each car, which may hold speed and braking data from the seconds before the crash. A car crash lawyer typically moves quickly to collect video, since many systems overwrite footage within days or weeks.
Comparative negligence in these crashes
Fault is not always all or nothing. Most states apply some form 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 few jurisdictions still apply contributory negligence, which can bar recovery for any fault at all. A motor vehicle accident attorney will know which rule applies in the state where the crash happened.
A note on deadlines
Each state sets its own statute of limitations for injury claims, and claims against a government agency can require written notice much sooner. This article is general information, not legal advice, and no article can predict how a claim will turn out.