After a T-bone accident, you have a number of possible legal options. Here are a few approaches to getting your losses covered.
You Could Get Medical Bills Paid by Your Health Insurer
Your health insurer would only pay for medical care — not lost wages or other damages, so this approach is often not the best option to obtain full compensation for T-bone accident injuries.
If your insurer pays the bills and you subsequently get compensation from another driver who caused the crash, the health insurance company will also typically try to collect back the money they paid out.
You Could Get Compensation From Your Auto Insurer
If you live in a no-fault state and sustained minor injuries, your personal injury protection (PIP) coverage could pay for medical bills and a portion of lost wages. Medical payments coverage (MedPay) could also cover medical costs.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage could also pay compensation if the driver at fault for the accident either had no insurance or had too little coverage.
You Could Get Compensation From the At-Fault Driver
If another driver was negligent and caused the T-bone accident, you could pursue a claim against that motorist. Typically, this would mean dealing with the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
The insurer might offer you a settlement or you might need to pursue a lawsuit in court. Regardless of which approach you take, the insurer will only pay out up to the maximum limits on the at-fault driver’s liability coverage.
If your damages exceed the amount of insurance coverage, you could make a claim against the driver personally but it may be hard to collect the extra money.
You Could Get Compensation From the At-Fault Driver’s Employer
If the driver who caused the T-bone accident was performing work duties at the time, you could pursue a claim against that driver’s employer.
There’s a legal doctrine called vicarious liability that says companies are responsible for their staff member’s actions taken while on duty. This is true even if the company was not negligent at all.
You Could Get Compensation From the Government
If poorly designed roads or defective traffic signals caused the T-bone accident, the local, city, or state government responsible for the roads may be to blame.
Pursuing claims against government entities can be more complicated than typical T-bone accident cases due to special sovereign immunity rules applied when the government is a defendant in a case. It’s especially important to work with an attorney familiar with these types of claims.
You Could Get Compensation From a Car Manufacturer
If a defect in the vehicle caused the T-bone accident, the car manufacturer, or others along the supply chain, might be to blame. For example, if defective brakes left a vehicle unable to stop, the maker of the brakes or the car that contained them might be liable for losses.
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