T-Bone and Side-Impact Collisions

A T-bone or broadside collision occurs when the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another, usually at an intersection. California’s wide, high-speed arterials—Jamboree Road in Irvine, Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance, Van Buren Boulevard in Riverside, Telegraph Canyon Road in Chula Vista—produce side impacts at speeds that the struck vehicle’s doors cannot absorb. These crashes are disproportionately represented among serious injury collisions.

How fault is decided in intersection collisions

Side-impact crashes are almost always right-of-way disputes, and California’s Vehicle Code assigns right of way in specific situations:

• Left turns: a driver turning left must yield to oncoming traffic that is close enough to be a hazard (Vehicle Code § 21801). A left-turning driver who is struck by oncoming traffic is usually primarily at fault, though an oncoming driver who was speeding or ran a red light shares it.
• Red lights: entering an intersection against a red signal violates § 21453. The dispute is often about who had the green; signal-timing records, dashcams and independent witnesses decide it.
• Stop signs: a driver must stop and yield to vehicles already in or approaching the intersection (§ 21802). At four-way stops, the first to arrive goes first; ties go to the vehicle on the right.
• Uncontrolled intersections: the vehicle on the right has the right of way when two arrive at the same time (§ 21800).

Because both drivers often claim the right of way, physical evidence is critical: the point of impact within the intersection, the angle of the vehicles, skid or yaw marks, and the final rest positions. Many California intersections have traffic cameras operated by the city, but the footage is usually retained only briefly.

Why side impacts injure occupants so severely

A vehicle’s front and rear have crumple zones; its sides have a door and a few inches of space. Occupants on the struck side can experience direct intrusion, and occupants on the far side are thrown toward the impact. Side-curtain airbags help, but injury patterns in T-bone collisions include head injuries from the window or pillar, rib and pelvic fractures, shoulder injuries and spinal injuries from lateral flexion.

• Traumatic brain injuries and concussions from head contact with the side structure.
• Fractures of the pelvis, ribs, arm and collarbone on the struck side.
• Shoulder injuries including rotator cuff tears and dislocations.
• Spinal cord injuries and back injuries from lateral forces the spine is poorly designed to absorb.
• Internal injuries to the spleen, liver or kidneys on the impact side.

Children and side impacts

Children in the rear seat on the struck side are particularly vulnerable. California requires children under 2 to ride rear-facing (with weight and height exceptions) and children under 8 to ride in a car seat or booster in the back seat. Whether a child was properly restrained can become an issue insurers raise; keep the car seat and do not reuse it after a significant crash.

Evidence to gather at an intersection crash

1. Photograph the vehicles where they came to rest before they are moved, if it is safe.
2. Photograph the signals, signs, lane markings and your view of the intersection from your approach.
3. Get names and numbers of witnesses, especially pedestrians and drivers who were stopped at the intersection.
4. Note nearby businesses with cameras facing the intersection and ask them to preserve footage.
5. Request the police report and, where available, the city’s signal timing plan for the intersection.

Dangerous intersection claims

If an intersection has obstructed sightlines, malfunctioning signals or a history of similar collisions, a claim against the city or Caltrans for a dangerous condition of public property may exist alongside the claim against the other driver. That claim requires a government claim within six months and a much higher burden of proof. It is not a substitute for the driver’s liability but can matter when the driver is uninsured.

Common questions

I was turning left on a green light (not an arrow) and was hit. Am I automatically at fault?

You are presumptively responsible for yielding to oncoming traffic, but if the oncoming driver was speeding, ran a red light or was distracted, fault is shared. The severity of the impact and signal timing often reveal whether the oncoming driver could have been where they claim at a lawful speed.

Both of us say we had the green. Who wins?

Neither automatically. Witnesses, camera footage, the physical evidence and the credibility of each account decide it. Insurers sometimes split fault 50/50 when evidence is in equipoise, which reduces each party’s recovery by half.

The other driver got a ticket. Does that settle fault?

A citation is strong evidence but not conclusive in a civil claim. If the driver is convicted or pleads to the violation, that admission can be used; if the ticket is dismissed, fault is still determined on the evidence.

Sources and official resources

• Vehicle Code § 21801 (left turns and U-turns must yield)
• Vehicle Code § 21453 (red signal)
• Government Code § 911.2 (six-month claim deadline against public entities)
• Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 (two-year limit for injury claims)

Links go to official government, court and public-health sources. Laws change; verify current text before relying on it.