Rear End Accidents are Common, and Dangerous

Getting hit from behind can sneak up on you.  A rear end accident often happens with little warning, and can cause significant damage and injury.  Why are they so common, and how should we deal with them?

Let’s check in with the Car Crash Captain to see what he says about getting hit from behind in a rear end collision.

How Common are Rear End Accidents?

Depending on what statistics you look at, rear-end collisions account for about 28% of all crashes in the US any given year (some stats say as high as 33%).  Roughly 1.7 million car crashes are rear end collisions.

What this means is that if you were involved in a wreck, there’s a 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 chance that it’s a rear end collision.  The good news is that most of these wrecks are non-fatal (about 6% of them result in death).  The bad news is that the majority of them are easily prevented.

What are the Main Causes of Rear End Collisions?

There are three main causes of a rear end wreck.

Too Close – Often a car will strike the car ahead of it because they’re following too closely.  The vehicle ahead has to stop quickly (due to any number of reasons including animals, debris, another vehicle, a child, etc.), and the vehicle following crunches right into them.  Make sure you’re following 3 seconds behind the car ahead of you – at 50 mph that means you’re back 220 feet.

Too Extreme – Some collisions are caused because of extreme weather.  When the roads get wet, or iced over, they get slippery.  When they’re slick, your wheels can skid along them instead of gripping you to a stop.  A good rule of thumb is to double your following distance when the roads are slick; six seconds instead of three.

Too Distracted – An increasingly common problem is that drivers are paying more attention to their devices than to the road.  Even when following at a safe distance, distracted driving leads to a number of rear end accidents every year.  Just put the thing away – if you really need to check, pull over and use the device safely in a parked location.

What Common Injuries Result from Rear End Collisions?

If you’re hit from behind, there are some injuries that result much more frequently than others.  Some of the common injuries from a rear-end collision include:

• Whiplash.  We talked about this neck injury in a recent blog.
• Traumatic Brain Injury.  If hit hard enough, your head can smack against a part of the car.
• Internal Organ Damage.  The sudden impact, even with a seat belt and airbag, can squish your organs.
• Back Sprains/Strains.  When you pull your back and the muscles are damaged it’s a strain; when the ligaments and tendons are damaged it’s a sprain.
• Slipped Disc.  The cushions between the vertebrae are called discs.  Back injuries can slip or tear one of those discs.
• Fractures.  Just about any bone can be broken in a rear end collision – it all depends on how hard you were hit.

Herbert Law Group Helps You after a Rear End Accident

If you have been injured in a wreck, whether it was a rear-end collision or something else, you need a Texas car crash lawyer on your side.

The insurance companies will try to minimize your payout – in the long run it likely won’t cover all of your costs.  Herbert Law Group supports you, and fights on your behalf so you receive compensation that will cover all your expenses.

Let’s get started with a conversation about what happened.  Call us at 214-414-3808, or fill out the contact form on our site and we’ll get to know each other.