Sideswipe accidents in Florida can have many different outcomes for victims. Sometimes, a sideswipe accident will only cause minimal property damages to a car and won’t result in injuries. Other times, these incidents can lead to extensive destruction of an automobile as well as substantial bodily harm. Sideswipe accidents can happen in parking lots or on the road while in motion.
When a sideswipe crash happens with immense force, the size of the vehicle and its speed can determine the severity of the crash. Victims who have been injured in an Orlando sideswipe crash will require the proper medical treatment to help them recover. Obtaining money for medical care can come from a Florida personal injury claim. If you would like to learn more about how the Florida personal injury claim process works and what options you have to be awarded the maximum amount of money in a settlement, call the Florida personal injury attorneys at the Vaughan Law Group.
What Factors Lead to Sideswipe Accidents in Florida?
When a car gets too close to your vehicle and connects with it on the side while moving forward, this is a sideswipe accident. It can lead to minor cosmetic damages to your car or it can completely annihilate your vehicle. The most serious sideswipe incidents lead to major bodily harm for occupants in both the negligent vehicle as well as those that were in the car that was hit.
A driver that makes a reckless lane change where there is not enough room can cause one of these incidents to occur. Moving off of the road to take an exit or changing more than one lane at one time can all lead to an Orlando sideswipe accident. A driver that is inebriated may be swerving between lanes and cause a sideswipe accident. Other times, there could be a malfunction within a car’s components that leads to the driver losing control. Unexpected road hazards can also make a driver veer out of the way and hit another car in the process.
Sideswipe incidents happen often when there are congested traffic conditions. With little room to maneuver, a frustrated driver may try to make a quick move but end up clipping another vehicle. Like most accidents, sideswipe accidents are most commonly the result of some form of driver mistake.
The National Highway Transporation Safety Association examined sideswipe accidents by looking at 135 lane change events over a 13-month period of time. What they found was that of all the lane change events that took place, three resulted in accidents while 132 narrowly missed being in an accident. Some of their findings also included:
- On average a driver changed lanes in 1.5 seconds.
- Collisions or incidents that almost resulted in a collision took place 2.3 seconds from the time that a driver attempted to move to another lane.
- The combination of braking and steering away from a potential crash helped individuals avoid crashes versus only those drivers that just braked.
- Drivers who didn’t use their vehicle’s mirrors or look around them when they made lane changes resulted in crashes.
Speak to an Orlando Car Accident Attorney Today
The Orlando car accident attorneys at the Vaughan Law Group have been representing victims of injury accidents to obtain their rightful compensation for the losses they endured. Call the Orlando personal injury attorneys at the Vaughan Law Group today to schedule your free consultation at (407) 648-1426.
