When another vehicle strikes your car from the side, the force transfers almost immediately to your body, often resulting in devastating injuries. Unlike front or rear-end crashes, your vehicle’s side offers minimal protection—leaving you vulnerable to serious harm even with modern safety features.
If you’ve been injured in a side impact accident, you need experienced legal representation to fight for the compensation you deserve. The attorneys at Holder Susan Slusher, LLC bring more than 20 years of experience representing victims of serious car accidents throughout Columbia and Mid-Missouri. We understand the complexities of these cases and have successfully recovered millions for our clients.
Understanding Side Impact Collisions
Side impact collisions—also called broadside or T-bone accidents—occur when the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another. These crashes often happen at intersections when a driver fails to stop for a red light or stop sign. The results can be catastrophic because the side of your vehicle has far less structural protection than the front or back.
While modern vehicles include side-impact airbags, these safety features cannot fully protect you from the extreme forces involved in broadside collisions. The crushing impact against the passenger compartment causes violent twisting and turning of your body, leading to severe injuries.
Common Causes of Side Impact Accidents
Most broadside collisions result from negligent driving behaviors, including:
- Running red lights or stop signs
- Failing to yield the right of way at intersections
- Distracted driving (texting, eating, adjusting controls)
- Drunk or impaired driving
- Excessive speeding through intersections
- Reckless driving and aggressive maneuvers
Accident investigators examine skid marks, vehicle damage patterns, and modern vehicle recorders to determine fault. The area of intrusion often reveals which driver entered the intersection first and helps establish liability for your injuries.
Serious Injuries from Broadside Crashes
The immediate transfer of force in side impact collisions frequently causes severe, life-altering injuries. Depending on which side is struck, you may suffer:
- Major bone fractures and broken ribs
- Shoulder separations and rotator cuff tears
- Broken pelvis, legs, or arms
- Lumbar spine and back injuries
- Serious head trauma and traumatic brain injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Spinal cord injuries leading to permanent disability
Left-sided impacts typically cause left-sided trauma, and right-sided impacts affect the right side of your body as the vehicle crushes inward. The severity of your injuries depends on the vehicles’ speeds, the weight differences between them, and their relative heights.
Your Rights After a Side Impact Accident
Missouri law allows you to seek compensation for all losses stemming from another driver’s negligence. You may recover damages for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, disability, and reduced quality of life. In the most severe cases involving permanent injuries, you need an attorney who understands how to calculate the full value of your claim—including future medical needs and lifetime earning capacity.
Time is critical after any serious car accident. Evidence disappears, witnesses’ memories fade, and Missouri’s statute of limitations restricts how long you have to file a claim. Contacting an attorney quickly protects your rights and ensures proper documentation of your case.
Why Choose Holder Susan Slusher, LLC for Side Impact Collisions in Columbia, MO?
When you’re facing mounting medical bills and uncertain recovery after a devastating broadside collision, you need lawyers who will fight tirelessly for your best interests. Our firm has spent more than 20 years protecting victims’ rights and recovering millions in compensation.
You’ll work directly with a skilled attorney and never be treated like just another case number. We provide clear, straightforward advice about the strength of your case and examine every detail to build your most compelling case. We’re not intimidated by big insurance companies and never back down from a fight.
Get the Legal Help You Deserve
Side impact collisions cause some of the most serious injuries in all car accidents. If you’ve been hurt through another driver’s negligence, you deserve full and fair compensation for your losses. Don’t let insurance companies pressure you into accepting less than your claim is worth.
Contact Holder Susan Slusher, LLC today at 573-499-1700 or reach us online for your free consultation. Our Columbia, MO office is ready to fight for the compensation you need to move forward with your life.