Being side swiped while driving on a busy highway can be a terrifying event, especially if you have been sideswiped by someone who wasn’t concentrating. Sideswipe accidents can cause significant injuries, particularly so if the impact pushes you out of your lane and off the road or into the path of another vehicle.
You may be able to file a personal injury claim against the driver who hit you. A successful claim can help to pay medical bills and compensate for lost earnings while you are recovering or being treated. It is sensible to obtain legal advice and help from an experienced personal injury attorney when contemplating filing such a claim.
What is the Chance that a Side Swipe Accident Could be Caused by a Driver Distracted by a GPS?
Many drivers these days use a GPS of one sort or another. Some people use a stand-alone unit attached to some point in front of them, while others rely on a smart phone or tablet. Each type of GPS does need some adjusting from time to time, as they rely on knowing where you want to get to. That may mean trying to adjust the device manually while actually driving, which is when you want to use it.
This adjustment takes the driver’s concentration away from the traffic and may mean taking one, or even both hands, off the wheel momentarily. These lapses in control can be enough to facilitate an accident. Vehicles are side swiped by drivers who are too close when passing, which is an easy scenario to imagine happening when a driver is distracted by a GPS.
Possible Side Swipe Crash Injuries
Side swipe collision injuries depend on:
- The relative sizes of the two vehicles colliding
- Whether the passing vehicle was coming from the same or the opposite direction
- How fast the two vehicles were traveling
- Whether the side swiped vehicle was pushed off the road altogether or into the path of another vehicle
While there are no specific injuries typical of side swiping, it is easy to understand that the worst injuries would happen when hit by a large truck, traveling in opposite directions at high speeds, and being forced out into another lane and hitting another vehicle. Crushed bodies, broken bones, lacerations, catastrophic blood loss, spinal damage, and brain damage are all possible in these more extreme circumstances.
What You Could Do to Recover Damages
After getting medical treatment as a first priority, you will no doubt be considering legal action, especially if you believe that the driver who hit you was to blame. You will need sufficient proof if you have any hope of obtaining fair compensation.
Crash reports, photographic evidence, a police report, witness statements, medical reports, and any other useful evidence can all help to make a difference when filing a claim. You will also need to know what the state-specific laws are regarding personal injury claims.
Why You Should Use an Attorney to Help You With a Personal Injury Claim
An experienced personal injury attorney can make all the difference when attempting to recover damages from a distracted driver who sideswiped you. The attorney will know the law as it applies to the state where the accident took place, help you obtain sufficient relevant evidence, and negotiate skillfully with the insurance provider representing the other driver.
