T-Bone Hit-and-Run Accident Leaves Driver Hospitalized

According to a KSAT News report, a driver was hospitalized after someone slammed into the side of his vehicle and fled the scene last week.

Police reported the incident at around 11:20 p.m. on Friday, October 28, at Wiseman Boulevard and Highway 151. A 27-year-old man was turning left when he was struck by a Chevy Silverado on his passenger side. The Chevy disregarded a red light, according to police, and fled the scene without rendering aid. He will be charged with failure to stop and render aid when he is caught. The man suffered a dislocated shoulder and was transported to the hospital.

Did You Know?

Fatalities in multi-vehicle accidents rose 16% in 2021².

Who’s at Fault in a San Antonio T-Bone Accident?

T-bone accidents are scary and often end in severe injury or death despite the fact that they account for relatively few accidents. But is the driver who T-boned the other vehicle always to blame for the accident?

You may be surprised to learn that fault is not automatically assigned to the driver who hit the vehicle from the side. Let’s take a look at how fault is established in T-bone accidents in San Antonio with examples.

T-Bone Accident Definition

A “T-bone” accident, sometimes called a side-impact collision, happens when one vehicle strikes another head-on from the side. This usually means that the only thing shielding occupants from the impact is the thinner metal doors of the vehicle.

These accidents are comparatively rare but are often very serious when they occur. Victims are almost 4 times as likely to receive a severe head injury from a T-bone accident than other accidents³. They are often the result of:

• Running a red light
• Speeding
• Failure to yield/road rage
• Distracted driving (i.e., texting, talking on the phone, changing clothes, fiddling with the radio)

Determining Fault

So, who’s to blame for a San Antonio T-bone accident? Well, it depends.

The person who T-boned the other driver could be the one to blame, as in the above scenario. The man who T-boned and sent the other driver to the hospital ran a red light before the collision. The other driver had no time to react and was struck. In this scenario, the driver who T-boned the other vehicle would be at fault and liable for damages.

But this is not always the case. For example, if, in the same scenario, the driver who was hit had time to avoid the accident but became angry that the other driver ran a red light and allowed the collision to happen, the two drivers would share fault.

Additionally, if a driver runs a stop sign in front of another driver, causing them to hit them from the side, then that accident would be the fault of the driver who was T-boned.

Bottom Line: The person who caused the accident to happen is at fault for the accident, even if both drivers share fault.

T-Boned in San Antonio? Call Carabin Shaw

If you were injured in a T-bone accident by a careless driver, you could have a legal claim to compensation. Call our firm to find out for free at 800-862-1260. We’ve represented those injured in T-bone accidents across San Antonio for 30 years, and we put our clients first. We look forward to serving you.

Contacting a Carabin Shaw attorney is free and does not obligate you to work with the firm.

¹KSAT News report

²NHTSA Data

³CDC Study