Road accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. The worst part is that the trouble does not end with physical injuries. These accidents can give rise to economic, professional, personal, and emotional losses for victims and their families. There are several types of damages you may claim in a personal injury lawsuit if you have sustained car accident injuries. Claims for medical expenses are chief among these, but you may also claim damages for lost wages or diminished employment opportunities, pain and suffering, or loss of affection (also called “loss of consortium”). Millions of dollars in damages are paid out every year for accident related injuries.
Many victims have to pursue a personal Injury claim to recover the costs of medical expenses and lost wages. Despite strict licensing requirements and traffic regulations, accidents are inevitable. Today, you are going to explore some of the most common types of vehicle collisions to be aware of. Take a look!
- Merging and intersection crashes
Automobile crashes caused by vehicles merging lanes are some of the most common accidents that occur every year. These accidents are more common with motorcycles, as they tend to cut in between traffic faster than cars. These collisions happen when two vehicles are traveling in adjacent lanes that move in the same direction and one vehicle sideswipes the other while attempting to merge into the other lane. They primarily occur due to driver error or lack of awareness, as they fail to check their blind spot while changing lanes. These accidents can be hard to avoid.
- Rear-end collisions
According to a National Highway Traffic Safety survey, these types of accidents are highly common and occur frequently . In the U.S., they make up nearly 29% of all motor vehicle accidents. These accidents often occur because of a simple driver mistake. Many drivers learn in driver’s education lessons that there is a rule that you must never follow the vehicle ahead of you too closely as a motorist. Doing so will lead to considerably more trouble because of driving too fast to stop safely. Many rear-end collisions are sudden and unexpected. However, failing to keep a safe driving distance increases the risk of rear-end crashes, even for the best of drivers!
Whiplashes are quite common when it comes to rear-end accidents. Whiplash is a neck injury caused by a forceful impact that causes a rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. They can often lead to neck and shoulder pain, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, jaw pain, muscle weakness, or even brain injury. These injuries are also possible in other types of motor vehicle accidents and not just rear-end accidents. Any car accident that involves whiplash or massive jerking movements can lead to severe injuries.
- T-Bone collisions
A T-bone collision occurs when the front part of any vehicle crashes directly into the side of another car. These collisions generally happen when a motorist does not stop as they should, especially when there is a stop sign. It can also occur when they fail to surrender the right of way to another motorist. These accidents are extraordinarily dangerous because there is less space on a vehicle’s side for absorbing the sudden and massive impact caused by a collision.
These accidents are also known as side-impact collisions and can lead to the most serious types of injuries and death. Concussion, whiplash, broken bones, spinal cord injury, and paralysis are all examples of injuries caused by a T-bone collision. According to a survey performed by the NHTSA, around 8,000 people lose their lives each year in the United States due to side-impact collisions.
Roughly 1.35 million people are killed every single year due to traffic crashes. In fact, today, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fatality for young adults and children aged five to twenty-nine years. Accidents can often be easily avoided by checking both ways for oncoming traffic, even when motorists have the right of way. It is best not to assume the other cars will adhere to traffic rules. Assuming that there are risks on the road everywhere is a wise and safe approach to driving nowadays.
- Single-car accidents
Single car accidents are another very common type of accident that often takes place nowadays. These accidents occur when a motorist loses his grip on steering or control of the vehicle and drives off of the road. The problem is often caused when obstacles like a pothole, fence, wall divider, or a tree are in the way. These accidents are never subtle. Motorists often end up with serious injuries. Single-car accidents, as the name suggests, involve only a single vehicle, unlike multi-vehicle accidents. These collisions can be avoided with attentive driving.
- Multiple car crashes
Multiple car collisions are often called pileups. They usually take place when roads are busy and congested. Cars find themselves in an accident because they did not follow the speed limit or follow other vehicles at a safe distance. Freeways or highways are the most common types of roads where these accidents occur.
These accidents include more than two vehicles. The worst part about these accidents is that the cars can be impacted more than once or multiple times, creating multiple collision scenarios. People can become trapped inside their vehicles, unable to receive emergency medical assistance. Moreover, these cases make it difficult for victims to determine fault.
If you or someone you know have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, it would be beneficial to discuss it with a San Antonio Auto Accident lawyer without any further delay. Trying to manage your car accident claim entirely on your own can keep you from the compensation you deserve.