Side Impact Collisions

Intersections (whether they are uncontrolled or controlled by signage and/or traffic control signals) are the sites of some of the most serious car wrecks and collisions in Bergen County. A side impact collision – when the front or rear end of one car makes contact with the side of another vehicle – occur with greater frequency at intersections than at other locations. This means you may be more likely to be involved in a side impact collision than in any other type of collision (after all, consider how many intersections you must pass through on a daily basis). Not only are you more likely to be involved in a side impact collision, but your chances of suffering catastrophic injuries is also heightened.

Side impact collisions rarely occur absent one or more drivers’ negligent or careless behavior. This means that you and/or your injured passengers may be entitled to recover financial compensation from the at-fault driver in a side impact collision. This financial compensation award can help you address the medical bills, lost wages, lost future earnings, and additional healthcare costs (for example) that you may experience in the aftermath of a side impact crash. Let the knowledgeable and dedicated Bergen County car wreck recovery team at Aretsky Law Group, P.C. assist you in obtaining these funds.

When two or more cars attempt to enter an intersection (whether a “T” intersection or a traditional “cross” intersection) at the same time, a side impact collision is sure to result. One may wonder, however, why two or more vehicles would find themselves in an intersection at the same time – especially when there are signs and signals that help tell drivers when they may safely proceed through intersections.

There are many actions and behaviors that can lead to side impact collisions, including:

• Inattentiveness or being distracted by a cellphone or other device and failing to observe signs, signals, and/or surrounding traffic;
• Driving while drowsy, i.e., driving without having had enough sleep prior to getting behind the wheel. Being sleepy causes the drowsy driver to miss signs and signals and/or to take longer to respond to hazards than a driver who is fully alert and awake;
• Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, which also makes it more difficult for drivers to perceive control signs and signals and/or react in a timely manner;
• Speeding, especially when approaching an intersection; and/or
• Defective or poorly-maintained signs and/or signals.

A side-impact collision may also occur when one car is backing out of a driveway or other similar location onto a busy street and backs into a car traveling on that street. The same sort of behaviors and actions that can lead to side impact collisions in intersections can contribute to a side impact collision under these circumstances as well.

New Jersey law is clear: when individuals engage in these or other forms of negligent behavior and this leads to a side impact collision that injures you and/or your loved ones, you are able to pursue a claim for compensation against this negligent or careless person(s).

If you or a loved one have just been hurt in Bergen County as a result of a side impact collision, you likely have many questions about your rights and your ability to recover monetary compensation. Some of your questions may include:

• How Much Time do I Have to Decide to File a Lawsuit?

  In New Jersey, New Jersey Statutes Section 2A:14-2(a) provides side impact collision victims with two years from the date of the side impact collision within which to file a lawsuit for compensation. If a lawsuit for damages is not properly initiated during this time, the injury victim may be prevented from ever filing a lawsuit for damages arising from that side impact collision.

• How do I Know if I Have a Case?

  Successful Bergen County side impact collision cases are those in which evidence (like photographs and accident reconstruction diagrams) along with witness testimony establish that the at-fault driver engaged in careless or reckless behavior and that behavior was the predominate cause of the crash. An experienced Bergen County car wreck attorney can assist you in evaluating the evidence in your case and determining your likelihood of success in your lawsuit.

• What if I Wasn’t Paying Attention at the Time of the Crash, Either?

  Side impact collision victims who were also engaged in negligent behavior may nonetheless recover some amount of compensation so long as they were not the primary or predominate cause of the crash.

Do not waste your opportunity to recover damages following a side impact collision: Call Aretsky Law Group, P.C. for assistance right away by dialing 800-537-4154.

45 N Broad St #19
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Phone: 201-996-0234