T-Bone Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Houston
A T-bone motorcycle accident occurs when one vehicle strikes another at a right angle. This is also known as a broadside collision or a side-impact collision. T-bone collisions tend to occur at busy intersections, often when one driver is attempting a left-hand turn that requires crossing a lane.
When a T-bone collision occurs between a motorcycle and a car, it is usually because a motorist has failed to yield and violated a motorcyclist’s right of way. Because motorcycles are smaller than other vehicles, they are harder to see in traffic.
Half of all crashes involving cars and motorcycles are caused by automobile drivers who failed to see a motorcyclist or misjudged the speed of the approaching biker. While motorcyclists have a responsibility to be safe riders, they also have a right to the public roads. Motorists are responsible for looking for motorcycles to avoid accidents.
The Houston motorcycle accident lawyers at Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C., can help a motorcyclist or their loved ones after a T-bone accident caused by a motorist’s negligence. We can guide you through the process of recovering financially and physically after a serious side-impact motorcycle accident. We will stand by you.
Our motorcycle accident attorney will thoroughly investigate the accident and pursue the maximum compensation available. We will advocate aggressively for you throughout the process of pursuing a motorcycle accident claim. Contact us at our Houston office at (713) 565-1899.
How Common are Broadside Motorcycle Accidents in Houston?
In 2017, there were 2,598 fatal two-vehicle crashes involving a motorcycle and another type of vehicle, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says. In 42 percent of the accidents, a vehicle was turning left while the motorcycle was either going straight or passing the other vehicles. This pattern describes a T-bone or right-angle, side-impact collision.
If a similar percentage of the 418 fatal motorcycle accidents reported by the Texas Department of Transportation in 2018 were T-bone accidents, that’s more than 175 motorcyclist deaths in side-impact collisions in a single year.
If we apply the same ratio to motorcycle accidents involving serious injuries in Texas, the Texas Department of Transportation statistics indicate that approximately 800 motorcyclists were seriously injured in side-impact collisions in Texas in 2018.
In an analysis of motorcycle accidents over a five-year period, researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) found that one of every 10 crashes at intersections was caused by a driver’s failure to yield right of way while turning left.
Not all motorcycle accidents at intersections are right-angle T-bone collisions. A collision in which one vehicle was turning left and one was traveling straight in the opposite direction accounted for a fourth of intersection crashes. This was followed closely by right-angle collisions at 23 percent, TTI says.
Top contributing factors in right-angle accidents at intersections were:
- Failing to yield right of way at a stop sign
- Disregarding a stop sign or stoplight
- Driver inattention and distracted driving
- Failing to control speed
- Failing to yield right of way before turning left
If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in any of the scenarios described above, you may be entitled to seek compensation for injuries caused by another driver’s misjudgment or carelessness. Determining fault is critically important after a motorcycle accident. Our attorneys will seek evidence to prove that the other motorist was at fault and therefore should pay compensation to cover your medical expenses.
Common Injuries in Side-Collision Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists are more likely to be injured in a collision because they do not have the structure of a vehicle to protect them. In addition to the impact of a collision, a rider may be thrown from a motorcycle in a collision or have the bike fall onto him or her.
If a motorcyclist is hit from the side, the rider is likely to suffer injuries to the legs, ankles, and feet and the hip. Fractures to the large bones of the leg, the kneecaps and pelvis are common, as are crushing injuries if the bike falls onto the rider.
Crush injuries can damage abdominal organs, as well as the legs or other extremities.
Injuries to the back and spinal cord also are likely in a broadside motorcycle accident. Back injuries can cause chronic pain and mobility issues, including paralysis if the spinal cord is damaged.
A rider thrown from a bike or knocked down in a motorcycle accident can suffer traumatic brain injury, broken arm and/or other secondary impact injuries, as well as “road rash” contusions and scrapes or disfiguring degloving injuries if dragged by the bike and/or car.
You will need all the financial resources available to recover from a serious motorcycle accident. If another motorist caused the accident due to negligence, the attorneys at Herrman & Herrman can help you pursue compensation to cover your medical bills, rehabilitation expenses, and related losses.
Determining Who Is At-Fault in a Motorcycle Accident in Houston
As we investigate a motorcycle accident, there are several potential sources of information that may help us understand what happened. These sources include witness statements, the police report, damage at the scene and security camera footage, which may be found at commercial establishments near the site of the accident.
If we are contacted soon enough after the accident, we will move quickly to try to locate security cameras that might have captured the accident and preserve the videotape before it is erased.
In complex accidents, we can commission accident reconstruction experts to examine the damaged vehicle’s other evidence, including the data from a car’s event data recorder (EDR), to determine what happened and who should be held accountable for the motorcycle accident.
When our attorneys pursue cases on behalf of seriously injured motorcyclists, we seek to identify all potentially responsible parties and their insurance companies. We also prepare a claim for compensation by calculating your current medical bills, future medical costs and loss of income.
In cases of disabling injury, we work with life planners to develop estimates of your ongoing needs and living expenses related to the injury.
We negotiate aggressively on behalf of our motorcycle accident clients for a settlement that reflects their monetary losses as well as the severity of their injuries and the impact of the accident on their life and ability to enjoy life.
When we can negotiate a reasonable settlement with the insurer, that is the quickest way to recover the money that you need to regain control of your life. Sometimes an insurance company simply refuses to agree to settle a case. After consulting with you, our attorneys will be prepared to go to court and seek justice for you, and we are confident of our litigation skills.
How Herrman & Herrman Houston Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Can Help
If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident and seriously injured, let us review the situation and offer guidance. Our attorneys care about the people in Texas who turn to us for assistance. We remain by our clients’ side, handling all aspects of their claims and attending to all legal and financial needs.
Once you have engaged Herrman & Herrman, you can refer all questions about the accident to your attorneys. We will deal with insurance companies and notify creditors that a legal claim is underway, which keeps them from bothering you. We will answer your questions and seek to put your mind at ease as you will be in experienced hands.
When we handle your personal injury claim, we will also take care of your property damage claim to repair or replace your motorcycle at no charge. This includes damage appraisals, the paperwork, and negotiations with the insurance companies, so you can stay focused on your health.
Uncooperative insurance companies and insurance adjusters deal with motorcycle accidents and injured claimants on a daily basis. They understand that you are in a difficult situation and will try to take advantage of that fact to pay you as little as possible. But we will show them what your losses truly add up to and what you deserve to recover in a settlement.
When we handle your motorcycle T-bone accident, our Houston motorcycle accident attorney will handle your case on a contingency fee basis. We will advance the costs of pursuing your case, and you will not owe any money unless we obtain a settlement or a jury verdict on your behalf.
If we recover any money, then we will retain an agreed-upon portion of the settlement as payment for our legal services and expenses.
Contact Our Houston Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Today
If you have been injured in a broadside motorcycle accident in Texas that was not your fault, contact Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C., today. Our motorcycle accident attorneys have offices in Houston, Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi South Side, Brownsville, McAllen, San Antonio, and Ft. Worth and will come to meet you at your home or hospital room if you prefer.
We have more than 100 years of combined experience among the legal team of Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C. Our Texas personal injury attorneys have successfully resolved over 20,000 cases. We fight for justice against wrongdoing and aggressively pursue the best resolution to complex motorcycle accident claims.
Contact us today for a free initial consultation. Remember: we don’t charge you unless we recover money for you.
