Long Island Side Impact and Rollover Collision Lawyer 

Car accidents are all dangerous, but the risk is higher with side impact collisions and rollover accidents. In the instance of a side impact, there is not much protecting the driver or passenger from an impending car. With rollover accidents, individuals are trapped under the cars and often have head injuries as well. In either instance, one of the major potential consequences is injuries, with the possibility of even sustaining a catastrophic injury.

Treatment for these injuries can be prohibitively expensive, and result in other consequences like a loss of mobility. If this occurs, a Long Island side impact and rollover collision lawyer can help you pursue damages. Get in contact with a determined car accident lawyer who can advocate for you, and will try to hold the responsible parties accountable.

Side Impact Collisions

Side impact collisions are usually roadside accidents, which is where one of the cars fails to yield to a stop sign or to a traffic light. Often they involve one car failing to stop at a traffic signal, whether it is a stop sign or traffic light, whereby hitting the other vehicle. Since the damage is coming from the side where there is no significant barrier between the driver and the other vehicle, the impact in terms of damage is more significant than in a rear accident where a person has the whole back side of the car between them and the other vehicle. In the side impact, it is a little bit different, so the damage is generally going to be more significant.

First Steps to Take

The first steps someone should take after a side impact collision are generally not much different than many other vehicle accidents. The first step someone should take after being involved in a side impact collision is to make sure that a person is safe, not bleeding, and not in any pain. If the person is injured, they should stay put, call the police if not on their way, and make sure that the person has an emergency vehicle there as soon as possible.

Documenting a rollover accident can be a great way for an individual to collect evidence that will bolster their case. Gathering evidence for a rollover or side collision accident is similar to what is done for other accidents, including taking photographs, making sure that witnesses can help support a person’s claim and making sure that the police are there both for their own safety and to document what occurred. 

As soon as all injured parties have received medical attention, they should get in contact with a Long Island side impact and rollover collision lawyer who can start collecting evidence for their case.

Recovering Damages and How an Attorney Helps

The damages someone could recover in a side impact collision are the same as the damages an individual would be able to recover in other car accidents. So an individual could recover economic and non-economic damages, which include pain and suffering, lost wages, medical bills, hospital bills, and other miscellaneous damages, as well.

In rollover damage cases, which are not very common, a Long Island side impact and rollover collision lawyer could look at photographs that are taken to document it to see if there is anything wrong with the vehicle. Occasionally, these types of cases originate from a defect with the vehicle. That requires photographs as well as sometimes an investigator to go look at the scene to see if there is anything wrong with the vehicle. That is something an attorney would do.

An attorney would also go out to canvass the area to see if there is anything that was wrong with the roads, which may have curves to it, or with the lighting. These are things that an attorney would go out and look at the documents to see if there is any liability on anybody other than the driver.

Rollover Accidents

A rollover accident, which is probably not as common as the other accidents and is much less common, happens when a car loses its momentum in the course of travel, causing it to hit and rollover. Common fact patterns in rollover accidents involve weather-related issues in roadways, and more often than not, roadways with potholes. Sometimes roads are not paved, so a vehicle is entering a different terrain, like a grass or dirt road, and an accident occurs. Sometimes it is weather, like a slippery or icy roadway.

The problem with a rollover accident is that the car rolls over and generally lands on the roof. Some of the most substantial injuries can occur because it involves the roof of the vehicle and that is the point of the vehicle that is closest to the driver and passengers’ heads. It makes the damages potentially more serious. In rollover vehicle accidents, it might be more difficult for victims to get out of the car because they are trapped underneath the car. This kind of accident can result in catastrophic injuries. If that occurs, a Long Island side impact and rollover collision lawyer can help the individual pursue damages.

Tips for Avoiding Accidents

The number one safety tip to avoid accidents is to drive slowly. A person driving slowly is less likely to have any kind of accident, particularly a rollover accident. Also, the person wants to make sure that their vehicle is maintained properly, so they always want to look at the tires, for example, to make sure that they are inflated properly. Generally, tires can be the cause of many rollover accidents. A person wants to make sure that the air bags are working properly and, if possible, that they have roll bars or cages on top of the roof.

Some examples of when a person would not be able to prevent themselves from becoming involved in a rollover incident would include unseen obstacles in the way of the road and black ice, which is a weather-related issue. These are all types of sudden situations which it makes it much more difficult for the driver to avoid a rollover accident.

Steps an Attorney Can Take

Your attorney is going to want to investigate your car accident by looking at the police reports, active investigation reports, photographs, ambulance reports, witnesses that may have been there and possibly taken witness statements, and property damage of each vehicle. That is probably one of the most significant things to see especially in a side impact collision, so the attorney will look at and evaluate the photographs at the scene of the accident. After doing so, your Long Island side impact and rollover collision lawyer can use all of the existing evidence to build your case and fight for you.