Sideswipe accidents are common. All it takes is a momentary lapse in concentration or the slightest maneuver in the wrong direction for two cars to make contact. And though you may brush off getting sideswiped as a minor inconvenience, they can also be the catalyst to a more serious collision.
What Is a Sideswipe Collision?
As the name implies, a sideswipe collision occurs when the sides of two vehicles make impact. This can happen as the two vehicles are traveling in the same direction or when they are traveling in opposite directions.
Sideswipes commonly occur when one vehicle starts moving into the other vehicle’s lane. This can be caused by a number of different reasons including distracted, reckless, drowsy or drunk driving; drivers changing lanes without checking their blind spots; multiple drivers merging into the same lane at the same time; and skidding or hydroplaning on slippery roads.
A sideswipe collision could also occur with a parked car, if a driver gets too close to the side of the road and makes contact with a stationary or idle vehicle.
This might seem like a minor accident that would leave little car damage and few serious injuries, but if you have ever been sideswiped you know that is not always the case. While the initial contact may not be major, the impact of one car hitting another can be enough for either driver to lose control of their vehicle. It is common for motorists to over-steer to try to regain control, which leads to swerving. Swerving can cause the driver to crash into other objects like guardrails, trees, light posts and other vehicles. Losing control of your car and swerving can also lead to rollover crashes.
What to Do After a Sideswipe Accident
If you get sideswiped, you should treat it the same way you treat any other automobile crash. First, check to make sure all parties are uninjured. If medical assistance is needed, call 911 immediately. If your car is drivable, move it off the road to a safe place and put on your hazard lights. Call the police and file a report. Exchange information with the other driver including name, address, vehicle information, license plate numbers, driver’s license numbers and insurance carrier information. You may also want to take photos of the car and location should you need them for later.
In the case of a sideswipe hit-and-run while you are in your vehicle, do not engage with the party that took off. Instead, safely pull over and gather as much information as you can such as color, make, model, and plate number of the vehicle before calling the police to file a report. If you are parked and come back to find your vehicle damaged, you can contact the local police department to have an incident report recorded even without the information of the other vehicle. Be sure to note the date and time.
Sideswipe Car Damage
The damage caused by a sideswipe collision depends on several factors, such as the size of the vehicles and the speed at which they were traveling. Generally, sideswipe damage includes dented driver- or passenger-side doors, scraped quarter panels and lost or damaged sideview mirrors. Of course, if the sideswipe led to a head-on collision or another type of crash, the damage would be much more significant.
Filing an Insurance Claim
Following the crash, call your insurance provider as soon as possible. They will ask a series of questions regarding your crash. Provide them with as many details of the incident as you can, including a walk-through of the events, as well as the date, time, parties involved and any injuries you incurred.
Sideswipe Collision Fault
Your insurance carrier will investigate to determine the nature of the crash, the severity of the damage and liability. They will take into account all of the information available including the police report as well as any photos or video. If there are differences between the two parties’ accounts, you may receive a call from the other driver’s insurance company.
If you are not at fault, the at-fault driver’s liability insurance should cover your car damage and any medical costs. Almost all states require some sort of liability insurance.
Have you ever been sideswiped? How was the insurance process? Tell us in the comments.
Looking for better insurance rates? Check out AAA’s extensive auto insurance options.
This article has been updated and republished from a previous version.
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My husband sideswiped a car, while slowly pulling into a parking spot. Minor damage to their rear quarter panel, could not have been more than a couple of hundred dollars. Our car had no damage, besides some scratches to the front corner bumper.
Our Insurance rate went up by $1,000 this year because we admitted it was the fault. Huh? Have had the same Insurance company for years and years, and this was the very first time to have filed a claim. Am currently looking at other companies for better pricing.
In a sideswipe, the damage could be much more than on the body. A few years ago, I got sideswiped by my boss. It looked like the damage was just on the body but two nights later as I was driving home, things started to go crazy. Just before getting home, I lost the traction control, anti-lock brakes, stability control, power steering and other functions on the car. As it turned out, the speed sensor on the wheel was damaged.
My parked car got sideswiped in the middle of the night in nyc. The whole side looked like it was clawed by a dinosaur. I have a Garmin dash camera, it took me 7 hours to find the car and 4 days to find the truck. This is the second time my car has been damaged while parked. If you are going to park in the streets, get the dash camera, make sure you have it recording while the car is parked. Both accidents were over 10k each.
I have found that even if it was the other person’s fault AND THEIR INSURANCE AGREES TO PAY, if you have reported to your own insurance, they consider it an “incident” (as though you are accident prone) and raise your insurance.
I had a small accident on my prior car, a Camry. I was not at fault. I used the insurance from the lady who ran into me. The claim was about $3300. When I went to sell my car that claim cost me dearly! It was on the Carfax report as an accident, with no info about the small size of the accident. That cost me money in selling the car. So be careful!
I came out one morning to discover someone had sideswiped my car. Because I could not prov ide any information on the other vehicle, my insurance would not pay anything. Apparently, in RI, if you cannot provide any information on the other vehicle, they do not have to pay even though I pay for Uninsured motorist Insurance as a line item.
I got side swiped hit and run as my truck was parked. 5 cops on scene, no one even trying to locate the other vehicle, got a report number and the left. I found part of the other vehicles rim under my truck, insurance won’t even cover the tow let alone any damage and I’ve been walking around town for many nights trying to locate any footage or find the vehicle. I had liability and was told they don’t cover hit and skip unless I can identify the vehicle and driver and they have insuranance…meanwhile I have roadside and they wouldn’t even pay for a tow.
Hello I need some help. I made the stupid mistake of trusting that the other person would admit to being at fault for the accident. I was fully stopped at a left turning lane at a red light when the other car came in very fast and did a wide turn and hit me. The damage is 90% on the back driver’s door but because the other driving are saying I was in motion, the insurance company want both parties to be liable. I had this car for 5 days and have no way of proving I was at a fully stop. Can you please post some examples of a side sweep with both cars in motion. Can I prove my car wasn’t in motion with the hit alone?
Hi Jackie, so sorry to hear about your accident! We just published an article about how insurance companies determine fault that may have some information that can help you.
I was side swiped recently and I think another tip is to start recording with your phone after you pull over because in my case the other party who hit me came up to me and admitted fault. Some phones allow you to take pictures while recording video so that you can do both at the same time to take pictures of the damage, plate numbers, and area of the accident or whatever else you feel needs to be in the shot. I unfortunately didn’t think about this until after the fact and after we traded information the other party didn’t want to stay for the police report and took off. Later in the day I got a call from my insurance saying that the other party filed a claim against me saying I hit them which was really frustrating because had I had video of them admitting fault I could have shut that down pretty quickly. I did make sure however to take as many photos as possible even if I felt like I had taken enough. I’d rather have too much proof than not enough. Oh and always stay for the police report because I believe my police report is giving me the upper hand fighting the claim against me especially when fighting the claim I made on them.
everyone should know what you have explained-what would be helpful is what you should do if the party that is at fault takes off!
Hi David, if the driver leaves the scene, record any information you have on the car (make/model/color) and call the police immediately. Then follow the same steps regarding filing a claim with your insurance company. Thanks for reading!
What if I’m sideswipped and the other driver is unknown?
Hi Douglas, if the driver leaves the scene, record any information you have on the car (make/model/color) and call the police immediately. You should still follow the same steps regarding filing a claim with your insurance company. Thanks for reading!
I was sideswiped by someone changing lanes. I thought the damage was only cosmetic, until I tried to open the window, and the window fell off the track. Make sure you check all components of your car after even a minor sideswipe!
If u are sideswiped or your car is scratched and there is no car to fault as they took off what do u do?
How does this work in no-fault states?
Hi Christopher, insurance would cover a sideswipe the same way it would cover any other sort of crash. You can read more about no-fault here.