On the afternoon of November 13, 2011, Grady Howard, a friend and two children were riding in his Toyota Yaris when Howard slowed near a road construction zone on I-20 in Georgia. Just behind Howard's car were two motorcycles. As the motorcycles and Toyota slowed, a Chevy Malibu plowed through the bikes and rear-ended Howard's car. The crash sent one motorcycle into the median and the other into the emergency lane. Drivers, riders and passengers were taken to the hospitals-all with injuries.
Rear-End Collisions
Second only to collisions caused by backing up a motor vehicle, rear-end collisions are the most frequent types of motor vehicle crashes. Of the estimated six million motor vehicle crashes each year, 31 percent are rear-end collisions. These crashes can be caused many factors: operators following too closely, speeding, poor weather or road conditions and distractions.
Rear-end collisions tend to result in a large number of fatalities and injuries, as well as property damage. In 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that rear-end collisions were responsible for 30 percent of all motor vehicle accident-related injuries and property damage. Rear-end collisions can cause a wide range of severe injuries, including whiplash, concussions, strains, sprains and traumatic brain injury as well as considerable damage to cars.
Injuries and Recovery
When a motor vehicle is struck from the rear, several things occur. First, the collision forces the car to accelerate forward, causing the vehicle's occupants to be propelled forward. While the body may move with the same speed of the car, the unsupported head initially lags behind the body and then rapidly accelerates. Unrestrained or improperly restrained bodies may collide with the interior of the vehicle or other occupants. These forces and internal collisions often cause injury to the passengers and drivers.
While the cause of a rear-end accident may seem clear, recovering compensation for this type of crash can be problematic. Depending on the state in which the accident occurs, recovery and compensation for losses and injuries may be limited by insurance policy benefits. In some situations, recovery for injuries may be difficult, because some states are governed by comparative and contributory negligence standards, which can reduce or eliminate the amount a victim can recover. Also, some injuries or property damage may be difficult to link to the actual rear-end crash.
Rear-end collisions are a serious issue for the commercial and passenger vehicles that share our nation's roads. Until safety measures and technologies are designed to reduce the severity of these crashes, they will continue to be a major cause of injuries on the roadways. As your ability to recover damages in rear-end collisions can be based on many factors, it is important to work with an attorney specializing in motor vehicle accidents. An attorney can assist you with the insurance claims process and make sure you get the compensation that you deserve.
