Serious sideswipe accidents are less common than ones involving angle, head-on, or rear-end collisions, but they can still be extremely dangerous. Sideswipe crashes occur when someone fails to spot your vehicle when changing lanes or if someone drifts out of their lane and hits you.
No matter how the collision occurs, sideswipe accidents can lead to extensive injuries. These collisions could even be fatal at high rates of speed.
If you’ve been in a sideswipe accident, reach out to The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm for assistance. Led by attorney Ali Awad, this firm advocates vigorously for victims of car crashes, workplace incidents, medical malpractice, and forms of negligence. We want to help you file a claim for all damages you have suffered after your sideswipe car accident, including your medical bills, lost wages, and personal pain and suffering.
Awad is known for his fair, no-nonsense attitude and desire to help clients get the compensation they may be entitled to. To learn more, give the CEO Lawyer a call at (404) 777-8800, or get in touch by filling out the online contact form.
What to Look for When Choosing an Atlanta Sideswipe Car Accident Attorney
To increase your chances of lodging a successful claim, you’ll want to find an accomplished personal injury attorney in Atlanta, one who is experienced in representing car accident victims on successful claims. Some of the traits and attributes you should search for include:
- Successful track record: Proven experience at closing claims successfully is key when searching for a personal injury attorney. Ideally, the professional you choose will have a history of winning compensation for other car accident victims. Don’t hesitate to ask an attorney about their experience, including basic details regarding the cases they’ve tried and the settlements they won. Attorneys should readily volunteer this information to help you make an informed decision.
- Organizational skills: Attorneys have to manage many moving parts when building a successful personal injury case. There are documents and deadlines to keep track of throughout the process; missing any one step could jeopardize your entire claim. Look for an attorney who is detail-oriented and precise. These traits are key to a successful working relationship.
- Good communication: Communication is another critical aspect of your attorney-client relationship. Your lawyer should answer calls and emails promptly, respond patiently to your questions, and take the time to help you understand each step in the claim process.
- Creativity: Cases can hit snags from time to time. If this happens, you’ll want a creative attorney who will remain persistent in the face of opposition. A creative attorney will consider alternatives and help you explore other paths for moving forward if your original plan is no longer feasible.
- Positive testimonials: Testimonials go hand-in-hand with a successful track record. Testimonials are first-hand accounts from past clients regarding their experience. These accounts are powerful for helping you decide if an attorney will be a good fit for you or not. As you meet with attorneys, request testimonials from their past clients to learn more about what they have to offer.
What You Should Know About Sideswipe Accidents
Sideswipe accidents happen frequently on freeways and other busy, multi-lane roads. A driver may drift into your lane if they’re not paying attention or misjudge their timing when switching between lanes.
One highway safety study shows that sideswipe accidents accounted for three percent of all fatal accidents in 2021. Although this number lags behind other types of collisions, it’s still important to be aware of the specific risks of sideswipe accidents.
Sideswipe accidents are particularly dangerous because the sides of cars aren’t designed to take as much impact as the front or rear bumpers. Therefore, if you’re hit forcefully from the side, the car could get crushed, and the entire frame could warp, jeopardizing the vehicle’s crash readisness. Further, your car could spin out, flip, or skid if you’re hit with enough momentum. These dramatic movements can lead to serious injuries or fatalities.
Drivers, passengers, and surrounding vehicles are all at risk when one driver sideswipes another. Instinctively, a sideswiped driver may veer into another lane to avoid the erratic driver who hit them, only to be involved in another collision. Alternatively, they may be pushed into a different lane due to the force of the hit. In this way, sideswipe accidents can commonly involve multiple points of impact before the crash is entirely over.
Common Causes of Sideswipe Accidents
Sideswipe accidents happen for a number of reasons, including:
- Distracted driving: Talking on the phone, texting, eating behind the wheel, or talking to passengers in the car can be highly distracting. Drivers may unintentionally drift into other lanes if they aren’t paying close attention to the road.
- Fatigue: Estimates indicate that drowsy driving plays a role in nearly 330,000 crashes every year. Many of these crashes result in serious injuries or deaths. Fatigued drivers are likely to drift into other lanes as they struggle to stay awake. Accidents can happen within seconds, so a drowsy driver may not have a chance to correct their movements, even if they wake up.
- Drunk driving: Drunk drivers can be extremely dangerous because of their erratic and unpredictable movements. A drunk driver may lack situational awareness, which means they could drift into your lane or abruptly change lanes without thinking. They might make these movements at high speed, which increases the danger factor.
- Avoiding obstacles: In rare cases, a driver may veer into your lane to avoid another obstacle, such as a stopped car, wild animal, or road debris. These movements often happen without warning, and they can result in a serious accident depending on the speed and angle of the hit.
- Aggressive driving: Road rage is a common catalyst for accidents. An enraged driver may not think clearly, and if they let their aggression get the best of them, they’ll use their car as a weapon. An angry driver might attempt to ram into you or run your car off of the road. These reckless movements can have devastating consequences, and they frequently happen before you’ve had a chance to react.
Compensation Options for Sideswipe Accident Victims
If you’ve been hit by another driver, you can seek compensation for your injuries, pain, and suffering. Compensation falls into the two categories described below.
Special Damages
Special damages refer to concrete expenses that you’ve either incurred already or will incur in the future. Some expenses in this category include:
- Current and future bills for medical care, including procedures like testing/diagnostics, surgeries, doctor’s office visits, medications, and consultations. Therapy and psychiatric care can count toward these damages, as well.
- Lost income and future lost wages, which refer to pay you’ve missed out on due to injuries, medical appointments, or the lack of transportation. Future lost wages refer to further pay you might miss due to medical or transportation needs, as well as wages you may not earn due to diminished capacity if you were seriously injured or disabled in the accident. This amount will vary depending on your current pay/career path as well as your age.
- Repair or replacement of personal property destroyed in the accident. If you had valuable items in your car that were damaged during the crash, you may be able to claim compensation for these as part of the overall special damages amount.
General Damages
General damages refer to the intangible losses you may suffer as a result of the accident, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of a body part
- Loss of companionship or consortium, in a case where a friend, family member, or spouse passed away in the accident or were unable to engage in the same bonding activities as before
- Family grieving after a wrongful death
You can’t easily put a price on any of these non-monetary losses, but your attorney will create estimates based on your situation, age, and other factors. Your attorney will seek as much compensation as they can reasonably request on your behalf.
From there, they’ll present evidence and negotiate with the insurance company to secure your payout. In the rare instance that your personal injury case goes to trial, a jury will decide what amount seems fair for general damages based on the evidence.
Get In Touch With an Atlanta Sideswipe Car Accident Law Firm Today
If you were injured in a sideswipe car accident, you may be eligible for compensation under Georgia law. The statute of limitations on personal injury cases in our state is two years — so you should reach out as soon as you can after an accident to see what options exist for getting a payout.
Ali Awad, the lead attorney at the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, has extensive experience representing car accident victims. He has a large social media following of 1.5 million people.
Online, he’s known for his helpful advice and desire to advocate for victims in all circumstances. He founded his firm in 2016 and has won millions of dollars in settlements and jury awards since then.
Request a free, no-obligation meeting with the CEO Lawyer attorney team when you call (404) 777-8800 or contact us online.
