Lane changes should not cause problems. Driver’s education courses teach techniques for safely changing lanes by scanning the area around your vehicle, checking your mirrors, and looking into your blindspots before maneuvering. Despite having to learn and demonstrate safe lane changes to get a driver’s license, many motorists become complacent with experience.
If you suffer an injury due to unsafe lane changes in Richmond Heights, MO, Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help you seek fair compensation. A Richmond Heights lane change crash lawyer will gather the evidence to prove that the other driver bears liability for your car accident.
Contact our law office at (314) 400-0000 for a free case evaluation with an experienced personal injury lawyer.
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How Our Richmond Heights Car Accident Attorneys Can Help After a Lane Change Crash
Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers was formed in 2002 to represent accident victims in Richmond Heights, Missouri, against at-fault parties and their insurers. Our Richmond Heights car accident lawyers have recovered over $70 million in settlements and judgments for injured people like you.
If you get injured in a collision due to someone else’s actions, our attorneys will:
- Evaluate your case and explain your legal options for seeking compensation
- Collect evidence and build a solid claim for damages
- File your insurance claim and negotiate for a fair settlement
- Fight in court against at-fault parties and insurers who refuse to settle
Even a sideswipe crash can result in serious injuries that disrupt your health and finances. Contact Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your crash and the compensation you can seek for your injuries under Missouri law.
How Many Lane Change Crashes Happen in Missouri?
According to the Missouri Traffic Safety Compendium, improper lane changes were the third most common cause of crashes in 2022. If you combined improper lane changes and improper passing, these maneuvers were the second most common cause of traffic collisions. Only failures to yield the right of way caused more crashes.
In total, 19,015 traffic accidents happened due to lane change and passing violations that year, according to the Traffic Safety Compendium. This means that 12% of crashes involving a traffic law violation resulted from these issues.
Bear in mind that lane change crashes do not just affect automobiles. A leading cause of motorcycle accidents and bicycle accidents happens when drivers fail to spot these smaller vehicles during lane changes or crowd them while passing.
How Our Lane Change Crash Lawyers Can Prove Your Richmond Heights Personal Injury Claim
You and your attorney must prove liability to recover compensation for your injuries. Once you establish liability, you will also need to show the insurer or jury the extent of the losses you incurred due to the other party’s unsafe lane change.
Proving Liability For Lane Change Crashes
To prove liability for a lane change collision, a lawyer must show that the driver negligently or intentionally caused the crash. Intentional crashes are rare, but they can happen.
Two common scenarios involving intentional sideswipe crashes include:
- A driver who nudges your vehicle out of the way while trying to escape from the police
- A road rage incident in which another driver deliberately swerves at you
Most lane change crashes happen due to driver negligence.
Some scenarios in which lane change collisions occur through negligent actions include:
- Blindly changing lanes
- Using side and rear-view mirrors to change lanes rather than checking blind spots
- Cutting off other vehicles when passing them
- Disobeying lane change or passing restrictions
In these cases, the at-fault driver did not intend to cause a collision. Instead, they maneuvered without exercising reasonable care for the safety of other road users.
Calculating and Proving Damages After a Lane Change Crash
Lane change crashes usually take the form of sideswipe collisions. These collisions happen when the impact results from the side of your vehicle hitting the side of another vehicle traveling in the same direction. Occasionally, these crashes may also take the form of rear-end collisions.
For example, a lane change crash can happen when a car cuts you off by passing you without leaving enough space. You might slam into the back of the other vehicle if it stops abruptly.
Both sideswipe and rear-end collisions can cause injuries. But both types of crashes tend not to cause fatal injuries.
According to the National Safety Council:
- Sideswipe collisions make up roughly 21% of all crashes but only 8% of fatal crashes
- Rear-end collisions account for about 42% of all crashes but only 19% of fatal crashes
Some examples of non-fatal injuries that result from these crashes include:
- Chest bruises
- Broken ribs
- Neck and back strain
- Herniated discs
- Concussions
These injuries happen when your body whips around after the collision. Your chest hits the seat belt, your head hyperextends and compresses your spine, and your brain rattles inside your skull.
The damages you experience from these injuries include both economic and non-economic losses. Economic damages include your medical bills and income losses. Non-economic damages include the erosion in your quality of life due to pain, mental anguish, and disability.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Richmond Heights Lane Change Crash Attorneys
Sideswipe accidents can result in serious or even fatal injuries. Contact Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers to learn about your rights after a sideswipe collision and how we can help you pursue compensation for your injuries.
