Intersection Accidents in New Jersey

As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) points out, because two or more roads cross each other and activities such as turning left, crossing over and turning right take place at intersections, these locations have a high number of crashes.

The attorneys of Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., have experience investigating and litigating these kinds of crashes throughout New Jersey.

We realize that many car accident victims do not fully know their legal rights and options. Our job is to help you to understand those rights and to seek compensation by pursuing a no-fault, personal injury or wrongful death claim on your behalf.

For instance, if you have been in an intersection accident through no fault of your own, we can seek funds to cover your current and future medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, harm to your marital relationship and damage to your vehicle and other personal property.

We are passionate about helping those who have been harmed by the careless acts of others. We want to assist you, too. To schedule a free and confidential consultation, call Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., today at 1-800-LAW-2000 or complete our online form.

Causes of Intersection Accidents

According to the NHTSA, intersection-related crashes caused by drivers involve several different types of failures or negligent behaviors on the part of the drivers. Some of the common driver-related causes of intersection accidents identified by the NHTSA include:

• Inadequate surveillance – Failure to observe what was going on in the intersection, to check for right-of-way or to observe other cars is the cause of 44.1 percent of driver-related intersection accidents.
• Assumptions about other driver’s actions – Making incorrect guesses about what other drivers would do is the cause of 8.4 percent of intersection accidents caused by driver failure.
• Turning with an obstructed view – Making a turn without checking to see that the road was clear is the cause 7.8 percent of the time.
• Illegal maneuvers – 6.8 percent of intersection accidents caused by drivers involve drivers doing something illegal, such as turning from the wrong lane, making an illegal u-turn or other improper driving act.
• Internal distraction – Distracted driving is responsible for 5.7 percent of intersection accidents. Distraction can come from an electronic device such as a telephone, headset, radio or navigation system.
• Misjudgment of a gap or of other drivers speed – These errors are the cause of 5.5 percent of accidents where drivers are at fault.

Sleep deprivation, alcohol or prescription drug abuse and texting while driving may also be factors in crashes that occur at intersections.

Because most intersection accidents are caused by driver-related factors, these are the most common reasons overall for intersection accidents to occur. The remaining percentage of intersection accidents not directly caused by driver failure can result from issues such as improperly designed intersections, light malfunctions, vehicle breakdowns or vehicle failure.

Types of Intersection Accidents

When drivers make the mistakes described above, they do dangerous things. They may cut other drivers off, fail to yield the right-of-way, run stop signs, rear-end other drivers stopped at intersections or even run red lights. These behaviors can cause a number of accidents including:

• Side-impact or “T-bone” collisions – These occur when one driver is traveling straight and the other left-or-right, and the vehicles strike from the side.  Improper turns can also result in side-impact collisions.
• Head-on collisions – These occur when a driver strikes another head-on. At intersections, they are likely to occur when a driver makes an illegal left turn.

Both head-on and side-impact collisions are very dangerous. Head-on collisions present a risk because the force of the impact when two vehicles hit straight on doubles. For instance, if two vehicles are each traveling 40 miles per hour and they strike each other head-on, this is the equivalent of 80 miles per hour of force. Side-impact collisions, on the other hand, are dangerous because the vehicle intrudes on the car and can cause the drivers or passengers to be crushed by impact.

Quite often, cars involved in intersection accidents go on to strike other cars, either moving or parked, or they may strike utility or telephone poles.

Our New Jersey Intersection Accident Lawyers Can Help You

The car accident lawyers and staff of Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., have been helping people throughout New Jersey and New York since 1981 to recover compensation for injuries caused by the carelessness of others. We’re ready to help you, too.

Call us today at 1-800-LAW-2000 or complete our online form to set up a free and confidential consultation. We can meet by phone or by Skype, FaceTime or GoToMeeting. Home and hospital visits are also available.  We do not charge attorney’s fees unless we are successful in your case.