T-bone accidents are frequent occurrences at busy intersections. Some cars have side impact or side curtain airbags, which are meant to offer protection to the people in the cars that are hit by others in this type of accident.
If a person is driving through an intersection, and another car runs a red light, the result can be a t-bone accident. These accidents are side impact accidents and are also called broadside crashes or simply being hit on the side. The t-bone crash makes up almost one third of all accidents and they can be extremely deadly. They are often considered to be more hazardous than being hit from head-on or from the rear, even with similar force from the other vehicle.
The reason that these crashes are more deadly is because of the structure of a vehicle offers less protection on the side than it does from the front of the vehicle. This accident happens frequently when one car does not yield at a four way stop, or if a car goes through a light at an intersection.
When a car goes through a light and hits another car at an intersection, the car being hit is often hit with enough force to spin it around, push it into other lanes, move the car off of the road completely or exert enough force to roll the car over. If the car being hit is stopped at a light, for example, it will sustain serious damage. In the case that the car is also traveling at a high rate of speed, then, this will affect the force of the accident depending on the speeds of each vehicle.
Since the majority of car accidents happen from the front or the rear, the sides of vehicles may offer less protection from an accident. The passengers might be at risk for hitting their heads on the side windows, or being in crushing accidents from the side doors. Some newer models of autos offer side impact curtain air bags. This may become standard on some newer cars, but as for now, it is an option on many vehicles today.
The side impact and side curtain airbags seem to be the same thing, but they actually have specific separate jobs during a collision. Side curtain airbags inflate over the entire area of a side window. This is meant to protect the person’s head from hitting the window area and suffering from resulting injuries as a result. These airbags are also meant to prevent a person from hitting the frame pillar in a side impact type of collision. The side curtain airbags also can stay in an inflated state immediately after a collision so that it will offer protection for the occupants of the car in case of a rollover.
The side impact airbags are usually placed in a vehicle to protect a more specific area of your body from injury. They are meant to protect a person’s head, chest or legs and they deploy from the seat (front seat or door mounted), or they may be placed on the rear seat.
If you are in an accident and have been injured as a result of being hit from the side, you will want to call an attorney who knows how to help you recover damages from this type of accident. We are here to hear your story. Call us today at the law offices of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or email us at www.ledgerlaw.com.
