Our Kansas City Auto Accident Attorneys Discuss Intersection Crashes and Why These Injury Claims Can Be Complex
One of the most dangerous types of vehicle crashes is at an intersection. Often, a vehicle disregards a red light and T-bones another car. Approximately 165,000 people are wounded or killed annually by vehicles that run red lights, and according to Missouri traffic crash statistics for 2021, there were over 30,000 vehicle crashes at intersections and 164 fatalities.
The skilled auto accident attorneys at Peterson & Associates, P.C. understand that when you’re injured in an intersection crash, you may need answers to questions about how to move forward with your life. We know the financial, physical, and emotional challenges you’ll face after this type of accident, and we’ve helped many crash victims get the compensation they deserve. Here, we discuss why crash claims for intersection accidents injuries can be more complicated than for other types of crashes.
Dangerous Intersections in Kansas City
Like any city, Kansas City has many dangerous intersections that can contribute to vehicle crashes. Although car accident fatalities decreased in the U.S. in 2023, National Public Radio (NPR) reported that there were two deaths per week in Kansas City car crashes that same year. While Traffic-related deaths fell by approximately three percent, they increased by nearly 13 percent in Kansas City.
According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, some of the most dangerous Kansas City intersections include the following:
- State Avenue. In 2021, there were many devastating accidents at the intersection of 75th and State Avenue as well as 31st and State Avenue. The accident at 75th led to one fatality and five people seriously injured; the crash at 31st killed a pedestrian.
- Parallel Parkway. In 2021, a crash at 67th and Parallel resulted in one fatality and three people seriously injured. Two accidents at different intersections of Parallel Parkway left two people dead.
Based on recent data, here are other intersections considered extremely dangerous and where most vehicle accidents and injuries occur in the Kansas City area:
- I-70 Intersection with: Blue Ridge Cutoff, Lee's Summit Road, Van Brunt Blvd, and Noland Road
- I-435 Intersection with: Front Street, 23rd Street, Holmes Road, State Line Road, 87th Street, and Bannister Road
- I-49 or U.S. 71 Hwy Intersection with: 63rd Street, 75th Street, Gregory Blvd., 87th Street, Red Bridge Road, and 155th Street
- I-29 Intersection and Barry Road
- Van Brunt Blvd. and 23rd Street
- Main Street and 39th Street
- Truman Road and Oak Street
- Jackson Avenue and 31st Street
- US 71 and Gregory Blvd.
- Brooklyn Avenue and 29th Street
Intersection Crashes: Right-of-Way Violations
Often, an intersection crash is caused by a right-of-way violation. This means a driver failed to yield to another vehicle that had the right of way. Factors that usually contribute to a right-of-way violation include the following:
- A driver failed to stop at a stop sign
- A driver made an improper left turn
- A driver failed to yield at a yield sign
- A driver entered an intersection when it wasn’t safe to do so
- A driver was distracted behind the wheel
How to Prove Fault in a Kansas City Intersection Crash
If you were injured in an intersection crash, there are multiple steps to take if you plan to file a personal injury claim. Because you need to provide critical evidence for your claim, it’s important to do the following:
- Determine who in the intersection had the right of way at the time of the accident.
- Take pictures of the accident scene, and get as many photos as you can. These pictures can help your attorney and a reconstruction specialist reconstruct the accident.
- Request a copy of the police report. The insurance company will often view this report as the most accurate information in determining fault for the accident.
- Get any available traffic video footage from the camera at the intersection. You need to do this quickly, as you may only have up to 30 days to request the footage.
Camera Footage
An intersection camera can often serve as a silent witness to a car crash, and the information it provides can be instrumental in determining fault and strengthening your claim. Video footage can often provide the following information:
- A timestamp of the exact time of the crash
- Which vehicle struck the other and from what direction
- The status of the traffic signal at the time of the accident—it may show that one of the cars failed to stop when the light was red
- Erratic driving behavior, such as a sudden lane change
- Adverse road conditions and any hazards
- The responses of witnesses and how the at-fault driver acted after the crash
Why Hiring Legal Counsel Is Important
Unlike rear-end collisions or two-car crashes, an intersection accident often involves multiple vehicles. That means there will usually be multiple insurance companies involved if you want to file a personal injury claim. Most insurance companies want to pay out as little as possible to the injured victim; when there are multiple insurance companies to deal with, they often try to shift blame to another party to minimize their liability. Our Kansas City auto accident attorneys know how to handle these complicated negotiations to help ensure you receive fair compensation.
Additionally, our Kansas City auto accident attorneys understand that witnesses often have conflicting perspectives on what happened. Pedestrians may see only one angle of the crash, and other drivers or witnesses may notice other details. Our legal team will work with accident reconstruction experts to help determine liability and if the driver was negligent. Also, we have knowledge of traffic laws and the traffic control systems at Kansas City intersections, which can help in making that determination.
How Our Kansas City Auto Accident Attorneys Can Help
The sudden impact of an intersection crash can cause life-changing injuries. When drivers and passengers hit their heads on windows, dashboards, and the steering wheel, and airbags deploy, the force can result in a skull fracture, concussion, or traumatic brain injury. Victims can also suffer neck and back injuries, broken bones, and internal injuries—all of which usually require expensive medical treatment.
Our Kansas City auto accident attorneys will help protect your rights by documenting all accident-related expenses, gathering evidence, working with medical experts to understand your long-term care needs, handling negotiations and communication with the insurance companies, and taking your case to court, if necessary. Our legal team has experience obtaining fair compensation for auto accident victims. Read our case results to learn how we’ve helped clients who’ve been injured in car crashes.