A side-impact collision occurs when a vehicle strikes another vehicle on the side. If you were injured in a side-impact collision, and it was the fault of the other driver, you could be eligible to receive compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Contact Gacovino, Lake & Associates, P.C. today at (631) 600-0000 for assistance with your side-impact collision case. Our Bohemia side-impact collisions lawyer can help you file a claim and work toward whatever legal compensation you may be entitled to.
Common Damages and Injuries
Side-impact collisions often lead to physical, mental, emotional, and financial losses. Injuries from such an incident can include:
- Head, face, and brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck, back, and nerve injuries
- Damage to internal organs
- Internal bleeding
- Eye and dental injuries
- Broken, fractured, and crushed bones
- Lacerations and contusions
- Mental trauma
- Emotional anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Amputations
- Disfigurement
- Paralysis
Economic Damages
Some of the injuries listed above can be easily quantified and are classified as economic damages. For example, to quantify the value of a broken bone injury (a type of economic damage), you would typically add up all the costs of medical treatment and other related damages that directly result from that specific injury.
In addition to injuries, you will likely have suffered other types of damages in your accident. These can include lost income, lost ability to earn, vehicle damage, and incidental expenses (such as caretaking service costs). These financial losses can also be included in a personal injury case, and our team can help you account for them.
Non-Economic Damages
Damages such as pain, suffering, emotional trauma, and permanent disability are harder to quantify and are known as non-economic damages. They can be included in most personal injury claims if you can show that the non-economic damages in question resulted from a physical injury.
Our Bohemia side-impact collisions lawyer can help you quantify such losses. Contact Gacovino, Lake & Associates, P.C. at (631) 600-0000 to learn how.
Our Services
Accident cases can be difficult to handle on your own. You may inadvertently lose the ability to recover compensation if you miss your filing deadline, do not gather the right evidence on time, or file a claim with the incorrect parties or agencies.
We are here to help. In the difficult and painful days, weeks, and months after your accident, we can help you:
- Identify the party or parties responsible for your accident
- Gather the evidence needed to substantiate your claims, including your police report, video evidence, healthcare bills, and salary statements to prove lost income
- Know what you need to do (and when) to recover whatever compensation the law entitles you to
- Know how, when, and where to file an insurance claim and/or a personal injury lawsuit if you are entitled to one
- Obtain a certificate of merit to prove that the extent of your injuries warrants a claim (This certificate is required for many types of accidents.)
- Submit a demand letter to your insurer—along with all of the evidence we gather for your case—seeking compensation for your losses
- Negotiate with your insurer and/or the representatives of the at-fault party so that a settlement can be reached
Establishing Negligence
We can also help you establish that the duty of care was not met. The duty of care is a standard used to determine when, where, and on whom liability for an accident can be placed. Another driver who strikes you in a side-impact collision can only be held liable for the accident if you can prove that:
- He or she should have driven with more care or could reasonably have taken measures to avoid causing an accident.
- He or she did not do so and was therefore negligent and responsible for causing you harm.
- The harm he or she caused you led to quantifiable physical, mental, emotional, or financial damages.
Common Causes of Side-Impact Collisions
Side-impact accidents are frequently seen at intersections and stop signs, as well as at yield signs, roundabouts, and intersections controlled by blinking traffic lights. They also frequently occur in or around parking lots, private driveways, and roads where roadside distractions or partially blocked views can increase the likelihood of an accident. Common causes of side-impact collisions include:
- Driver distraction or drowsiness
- Driving under the influence
- Reckless driving
- Wanton neglect of safe driving laws
- Poor road signage
Non-driver factors can also play a role, such as inadequate lighting, vehicle malfunctions, road damage, and slippery roads or debris on the road.
The Severity of the Collision Can Affect Your Damages
The severity of your injuries and the extent of the damage the side-impact collision caused will depend on the size and speed of the vehicles involved, as well as the angle of impact and the safety features your vehicle was equipped with. Side-impact accidents are often unexpected.
These are reasons why side-impact collisions are so dangerous, and their severity is often underestimated. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that passengers involved in a left-side crash while sitting in a vehicle with a good side-impact rating are 70% less likely to die than passengers in a similar accident riding in a vehicle with a poor side-impact rating.
If you suffered injuries or lost a loved one in this type of crash, you should not have to take on the financial burden of the damages. Let our team help you seek compensation.
Call Gacovino, Lake & Associates, P.C. for Help
Contact Gacovino, Lake & Associates, P.C. today at (631) 600-0000 to learn more. Our Bohemia side-impact collisions lawyer will walk you through everything you need to know and help you file a compensation claim. Do not hesitate to reach out to a team member today.
