🏆 $60M+ Recovered • Super Lawyers 2024-25 • 25+ Years Experience • No Fee Unless You Win
Sideswipe accidents are among the most dangerous and underestimated collisions on St. Louis roads. Whether it happens during a hurried lane change on I-270, while merging onto Highway 40, or when someone drifts into your lane on Grand Boulevard, these side-impact crashes can cause your vehicle to spin out of control, roll over, or collide with other traffic—often resulting in catastrophic injuries.
At The Dixon Injury Firm, we’ve spent over 25 years helping St. Louis sideswipe accident victims recover compensation when aggressive driving, distracted driving, or simple negligence causes these dangerous collisions. Our experienced sideswipe accident lawyers understand that these crashes often involve complex questions of fault and can result in serious injuries that insurance companies frequently try to minimize.
We’re your neighbors in the St. Louis community, and we’ve recovered more than $60 million for clients who trusted us to fight for fair compensation when someone else’s poor driving decisions left them injured and facing mounting expenses.
A sideswipe accident occurs when the sides of two vehicles make contact while traveling in the same or opposite directions. These collisions typically happen during lane changes, merging, or when drivers drift out of their lanes, but the consequences can be far more severe than the initial contact suggests.
Common Causes of Sideswipe Accidents:
Why Sideswipe Accidents Are Particularly Dangerous: Unlike head-on or rear-end collisions, sideswipe accidents often cause vehicles to lose control after the initial impact. The side impact can send vehicles spinning into other lanes, cause rollovers, or result in secondary collisions that are often more severe than the original sideswipe contact.
Highway Lane Change Collisions: High-speed sideswipe accidents on I-64, I-70, I-270, and Highway 40 where drivers change lanes without adequate clearance or fail to check blind spots during heavy traffic.
Merging Accidents: Collisions that occur when drivers attempt to merge onto highways or change lanes at on-ramps and interchanges throughout the St. Louis metro area.
Intersection Sideswipes: Accidents at busy St. Louis intersections where drivers turn into occupied lanes or drift during turns at locations like Grand and Forest Park Avenue or Kingshighway and Manchester Road.
Opposite Direction Sideswipes: Head-to-head sideswipe collisions that occur when drivers cross center lines on two-way roads, often resulting in the most severe injuries due to combined speeds.
Parking Lot and Low-Speed Sideswipes: While often less severe, these accidents can still cause significant property damage and injuries, particularly to passengers on the impact side of vehicles.
Side Impact and Door Frame Injuries: The occupant on the impact side often suffers injuries from the door frame, window glass, and intrusion of the vehicle structure, including arm and shoulder injuries, lacerations, and fractures.
Head and Neck Trauma: The lateral forces in sideswipe accidents can cause severe whiplash, concussions, and traumatic brain injuries as occupants’ heads are thrown sideways against windows or door frames.
Spinal Injuries: The twisting motion during a sideswipe can cause herniated discs, spinal fractures, and nerve damage, particularly in the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine.
Rollover-Related Injuries: When sideswipe accidents cause vehicles to roll over, occupants can suffer catastrophic injuries including spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, and multiple fractures.
Secondary Collision Injuries: Many sideswipe accidents result in secondary impacts with other vehicles, barriers, or objects, often causing more severe injuries than the initial sideswipe contact.
Lane Change Responsibility: Missouri law requires drivers to ensure a lane change can be made safely before initiating the maneuver. The driver changing lanes is typically at fault unless the other driver was also negligent.
Right-of-Way Violations: Drivers who fail to yield right-of-way during merging or lane changes bear responsibility for resulting sideswipe accidents, even if both vehicles were in motion.
Comparative Fault Considerations: Missouri’s pure comparative fault system means that even if you bear some responsibility for the accident, you can still recover compensation reduced by your percentage of fault.
Evidence Critical to Fault Determination:
Immediate Scene Investigation: Our sideswipe accident lawyers work quickly to preserve evidence from the accident scene, including photographs of vehicle positions, skid marks, debris patterns, and damage that can help establish how the collision occurred.
Accident Reconstruction Analysis: We work with qualified accident reconstruction experts who can analyze the physics of your sideswipe collision, vehicle damage patterns, and other evidence to determine fault and the sequence of events.
Medical Documentation and Treatment: We ensure you receive proper medical evaluation for injuries that may not be immediately apparent, while working with healthcare providers to document the connection between the accident and your injuries.
Insurance Company Management: Sideswipe accidents often involve disputes about fault between multiple insurance companies. Our lawyers handle all communication with insurers and fight to ensure your claim isn’t unfairly denied or minimized.
Safe Lane Change Requirements: Missouri law requires drivers to signal their intention to change lanes and ensure the movement can be made safely without interfering with other traffic.
Following Distance and Speed: Drivers must maintain appropriate following distances and speeds that allow them to react to changing traffic conditions and avoid collisions.
Duty of Care: All drivers have a duty to operate their vehicles with reasonable care and attention, including checking blind spots and being aware of surrounding traffic.
Statute of Limitations: You have five years from the date of your sideswipe accident to file a lawsuit in Missouri, but evidence preservation and medical treatment should begin immediately.
When both drivers are changing lanes simultaneously, fault determination becomes more complex. Our sideswipe accident lawyers will investigate who initiated the lane change first, whether proper signals were used, and if either driver had right-of-way.
We use accident reconstruction analysis, vehicle damage patterns, witness statements, and sometimes surveillance footage to establish vehicle positions and movements before the collision occurred.
Secondary collisions resulting from the initial sideswipe are typically the responsibility of the driver who caused the original accident. We pursue compensation for all damages and injuries resulting from the entire sequence of events.
Absolutely. Even seemingly minor sideswipe contact can cause serious injuries, particularly to occupants on the impact side. The extent of vehicle damage doesn’t always correlate with injury severity.
Disputes about who was changing lanes are common in sideswipe cases. Our lawyers gather evidence including traffic cameras, witness statements, and damage analysis to establish the facts about what actually occurred.
The timeline depends on injury severity, fault disputes, and insurance company cooperation. Simple cases may resolve in several months, while complex cases involving serious injuries or disputed fault may take 12-18 months or longer.
Commercial vehicle sideswipe accidents often involve higher insurance limits and additional liability considerations, including potential employer responsibility and federal trucking regulations that may have been violated.
Ensure safety, call police, seek medical attention if injured, document the scene with photos, get witness information, and avoid admitting fault or discussing details with the other driver’s insurance company before consulting an attorney.
Highway Interchanges and Merge Points:
Multi-Lane Surface Streets:
Construction and Work Zones:
Fault Shifting Arguments: Insurance companies often try to shift blame between drivers in sideswipe accidents. Our lawyers gather comprehensive evidence to establish fault clearly and counter attempts to unfairly assign responsibility to our clients.
Minimal Damage Claims: Insurers may argue that limited vehicle damage means limited injuries. We work with medical experts to demonstrate how sideswipe forces can cause serious injuries even without extensive property damage.
Pre-Existing Condition Disputes: Insurance companies frequently claim that injuries existed before the accident. We work with medical providers to establish clear causation between the sideswipe collision and your current symptoms.
Contributory Fault Arguments: Adjusters may claim you contributed to the accident through your own driving. Our sideswipe accident lawyers investigate thoroughly to counter unfounded fault allegations and minimize any valid comparative fault.
Vehicle Replacement and Rental: Sideswipe damage often affects critical safety systems, making vehicles unsafe to drive even when damage appears cosmetic. Extended rental car needs and potential total loss situations can create significant expenses.
Medical Evaluation and Treatment: Side impact injuries often require specialized diagnostic testing and treatment, including MRIs, CT scans, orthopedic consultations, and potentially surgical intervention for serious injuries.
Lost Income and Opportunities: Injuries from sideswipe accidents can require extended time off work, reduced productivity, and may impact your ability to perform job-related duties, especially those requiring physical activity.
Long-Term Impact Considerations: Chronic pain from spinal injuries, ongoing headaches from concussions, and psychological trauma from serious accidents can affect quality of life and earning capacity for years after the collision.
Our sideswipe accident lawyers represent injury victims throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, including:
St. Louis County: Clayton, University City, Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Florissant, Hazelwood, Maryland Heights, Creve Coeur, Ballwin, Chesterfield, and surrounding communities
St. Charles County: St. Charles, O’Fallon, Wentzville, St. Peters, and Lake Saint Louis
Jefferson County: Arnold, Festus, Hillsboro, and Imperial
St. Louis City: Downtown, Central West End, Tower Grove, Soulard, and all city neighborhoods
Illinois Metro East: Belleville, O’Fallon, Collinsville, Edwardsville, and Alton
Our team has over 25 years of experience handling complex sideswipe accident cases throughout the St. Louis area. We understand the unique challenges these cases present, from establishing fault in disputed liability situations to proving the full extent of injuries that may not be immediately apparent.
We work exclusively on a contingency fee basis—no fee unless we win—ensuring that quality legal representation is accessible regardless of your financial situation. Our deep roots in the St. Louis community mean we understand the local traffic patterns, accident-prone areas, and court systems that may impact your case.
Sideswipe accident cases often involve rapidly disappearing evidence and complex fault determinations that require immediate professional attention. The sooner our sideswipe accident lawyers can begin investigating your case, the better we can preserve evidence and protect your interests.
Don’t let insurance companies shift fault unfairly or minimize the serious nature of your sideswipe accident injuries. Contact The Dixon Injury Firm today for a free consultation about your case.
Your neighbors at The Dixon Injury Firm are ready to fight for the compensation you deserve. Because when someone sideswiped you in St. Louis, we’re here to set the record straight.
Many personal injury law factories get as many clients in the door as possible, hoping one will be the jackpot. Not us. At The Dixon Injury Firm, we’re highly selective about our cases because we devote considerable time and attention to each client.
