Drivers can experience many types of car accidents, such as head-on, T-bone, and rear-end car collisions, that can expose them to severe injuries. One such type of car accident that can lead to significant damages for drivers is a sideswipe accident.
A sideswipe car accident is when two cars going in the same direction at the same speed collide with each other. This collision can lead to both cars going off their path, possibly crashing into other motor vehicles or a heavy object like a light pole, traffic control signals, or stop sign.
Victims of sideswipe accidents can suffer economic and non-economic damages that can affect their physical health, financial situation, and quality of life. Some car accident damages a sideswipe accident victim can suffer include medical bills, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, property damage, and loss of enjoyment of life.
What is a Sideswipe Car Accident?
Car accidents can occur on the road when two or more cars come into direct contact with each other. Drivers must be wary when they drive right next to another driver going in the same direction, as they can suffer a sideswipe car accident resulting in severe blunt-force trauma.
A sideswipe car accident is when the sides of two vehicles moving in the same direction at the same speed crash into each other. This can commonly happen when two lanes moving in the same direction merge, such as at the on-ramp for an interstate highway. They can also happen when one driver attempts to make a lane change before it is safe.
This type of car accident can lead to a driver or passenger experiencing direct blunt-force trauma, as another vehicle can hit them directly when striking the side of the vehicle. It can also lead to severe car accident injuries when a driver loses control of their vehicle, veers off their path, and strikes another vehicle or heavy object.
Medical Bills Caused by a Sideswipe Accident
Car accident victims who suffer a sideswipe accident can experience car accident damages, which are economic and non-economic losses caused by an accident. One of the most common car accident damages suffered by sideswipe car accident victims is medical bills.
These are economic losses that encompass all that you have to pay for medical treatment. Victims of sideswipe accidents can suffer severe injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), broken bones, and spinal cord injuries. They will have to go to the hospital to receive medical treatment to prevent these injuries from causing long-term health complications.
However, the medical cost can be expensive, especially if you need surgery for a severe injury. Some medical costs you could pursue in a sideswipe accident claim include costs regarding ambulatory services, hospitalization, diagnostic tests, medication, surgery, and physical therapy.
What Wage-Based Losses Can Result from a Sideswipe Accident?
Other economic damages caused by sideswipe accidents include wage-based losses. These are losses that affect your ability to work and earn a living wage. There are two types of wage-based losses car accident victims can suffer: lost wages and lost earning potential.
Car accident victims can pursue compensation for lost wages when they have to miss time from work to recover from injuries. Those who suffer severe injuries that affect their ability to perform work tasks will have to take time off work. They can pursue compensation for the wages they would have earned if they had not suffered a sideswipe accident.
Lost earning potential is payment for lifetime wages lost when a car accident victim cannot return to their job. Some injuries can have such a severe impact on the body’s functioning that they cannot possibly return to their career. For example, someone who suffers a broken leg with long-term health complications may not be able to work as a bus driver anymore.
Pursuing Compensation for Property Damage After a Sideswipe Accident
A sideswipe accident can also lead to property damage, as a victim’s car can receive damage that requires maintenance. Their windshields, windows, mirrors, tires, doors, and other car parts can experience such damage that they must be repaired.
Repairing a damaged vehicle can cost a lot of money, especially when someone cannot work and loses out on wages. Sideswipe car accident victims can hold the liable party accountable for property damages to pay for repairing the damage they did to their car through reckless driving.
Pain and Suffering Caused by a Sideswipe Accident
Severe car accident injuries caused by a sideswipe accident can cause pain and suffering that victims will have to live with for weeks or months. Pain and suffering are the physical and emotional suffering that a car accident victim must deal with in the aftermath of an accident.
This can manifest itself as physical pain, an inability to use an injured body part, depression, anxiety, fear, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Pursuing compensation for pain and suffering can be difficult because there is no specific economic value.
A car accident lawyer can help you prove you experienced pain and suffering damages after a sideswipe accident. They can use pain and suffering calculation methods to determine the severity of your pain and suffering and what compensation you deserve.
What Other Non-Economic Damages Can Result From Sideswipe Accidents?
Pain and suffering is a type of non-economic damage caused by a sideswipe car accident. That means it is an intangible loss that does not have an economic value, but it does affect their quality of life. Other non-economic damages can affect their standard of living, mental health, and relationships, and a car accident victim can pursue compensation for them through a claim.
The following are some other non-economic damages you could pursue in a sideswipe car accident claim:
- Mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of society
- Loss of parental services
Contact The Russo Firm for Help With Your Sideswipe Accident Claim
The car accident lawyers at The Russo Firm can offer their experience and expertise to assist you with your sideswipe accident claim. They understand how these types of claims work and what steps to take to put you in the best position to recover compensation for damages.
Our car accident attorneys can help you by explaining car accident laws in your state, collecting evidence, and negotiating a settlement with the liable party’s insurance company. Contact us for a free sideswipe car accident consultation at (561) 270-0913 or leave a message on our online contact page.
