Motor vehicle accidents are a significant concern, with over six million reported annually. The most common types of motor vehicle accidents involving other vehicles are front-impact and rear-impact. However, several different types of motor vehicle accidents result in injury and wrongful death.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury in a motor vehicle accident, it’s important to seek a free consultation with Athens car accident lawyers to discuss your legal right to financial compensation. Remember, the statute of limitations on filing motor vehicle accident claims varies by state, so it’s always best to ask your attorney about local laws.
Three Most Common Types of Motor Vehicle Accidents Involving Other Motor Vehicles
Motor vehicles are vehicles with engines, including low-speed and electric-powered vehicles. Common motor vehicles involved in accidents are:
- Cars
- Trucks and semi-trucks
- Vans
- Off-road vehicles (all-terrain, four-wheel-drive, utility terrain)
- Motorcycles
- Buses
- Self-propelled construction and farming equipment
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that these three types of collisions are the most common motor vehicle accidents involving another vehicle:
Front-Impact Motor Vehicle Accidents
Front-impact or head-on collisions have the highest force of all motor vehicle accidents and are often fatal. Front-impact collisions involve two motor vehicles hitting head-on and are one of the most dangerous types of motor vehicle accidents.
Rear-Impact Motor Vehicle Accidents
Rear-impact or rear-end collisions occur when the front end of one vehicle hits the back of another vehicle. They also happen when a driver reverses their vehicle into the vehicle behind it.
Side-Impact Motor Vehicle Accidents
Side-impact or angled collisions occur when one vehicle hits the side of another. They are also called broad-side or T-bone car accidents. They are serious accidents that result in severe injuries.
Other Most Common Types of Motor Vehicle Accidents
In addition to the top three types of motor vehicle accidents, some of the most common crash types are sideswipe, a single motor vehicle with a fixed object, and multi-vehicle motor vehicle accidents.
Sideswipe Motor Vehicle Accidents
Sideswipe accidents are also common and differ from side-impact motor vehicle accidents. They commonly occur when merging, swerving, or performing improper lane changes.
Single Motor Vehicle Accidents with Fixed Objects
Not all motor vehicle accidents involve two vehicles. A single-car accident with a fixed object is when a driver hits a stationary object, such as a tree, fence, traffic light, or mailbox.
Multi-Vehicle Motor Vehicle Accidents
Multi-vehicle collisions, often called pile-ups, involve multiple motor vehicles and typically occur on highways and freeways. These types of motor vehicle accident claims can be complex and time-consuming and are best represented by an attorney.
The Most Common Types of Motor Vehicle Accidents Resulting in Death
The National Safety Council (NSC) released research indicating that motor vehicle crashes account for less than half of motor vehicle fatalities involving other vehicles. However, they represent 78 percent of injuries, 71 percent of injury crashes, and 71 percent of all accidents. These are the NSC stats on deaths by crash type and deaths involving other motor vehicles.
Deaths by Crash Type
Common motor vehicle accident fatalities by crash type, including percentages of overall deaths, are as follows:
- Other motor vehicle (42.6 percent)
- Fixed or other object —traffic barrier, utility pole, tree (26.5 percent)
- Pedestrian (20 percent)
- Non-collision —rollovers, fires, natural disasters, falling objects (7.4 percent)
- Pedal cycle —bicycle (3 percent)
- Railroad train (0.3 percent)
- Animal or animal-drawn vehicle (.02 percent)
Single-vehicle crashes involving collisions with pedestrians, fixed objects, and non-collisions account for a more significant proportion of fatalities and fatal crashes than less severe crashes. These three crash types comprised 54 percent of deaths and 56 percent of deadly crashes but only 25 percent or less of injuries, injury crashes, or all crashes.
Deaths by Crash Type Involving Other Motor Vehicles
Motor-vehicle-related fatalities occur most often in collisions involving other motor vehicle accidents. When comparing collisions between motor vehicles, here are the common causes:
- Angle collisions (44.9 percent)
- Head-on collisions (29.6 percent)
- Rear-end collisions (17.3 percent)
- Sideswipe and other two-vehicle-collisions (8.2 percent)
Surviving victims of wrongful death (spouse, children, parents, and extended family) should consult with an attorney immediately about the circumstances surrounding their loved one’s death. An experienced motor vehicle lawyer will work hard to secure financial compensation for your loss and exercise compassion, providing you with the comfort and understanding you need during this difficult time.
Common Causes of Motor Vehicle Accidents
Inexperienced motorists, such as teenage drivers, are a significant cause of motor vehicle accidents. Other common causes include distracted, impaired, aggressive, and night driving.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is the number one cause of motor vehicle accidents. It’s when the driver’s attention is diverted from the road, leading to dangerous conditions and accidents. Typical examples of distracted driving include:
- Texting or talking on a cell phone
- Sending emails or scrolling social media
- Talking to passengers in the vehicle
- Eating
- Adjusting climate controls and stereo
- Adjusting GPS
- Applying makeup or skincare products
- Daydreaming
- Reaching for items
- Reading something or watching a screen
- Smoking
Moving objects in a vehicle, such as an insect or a pet, is another component of distracted driving that causes motor vehicle accidents. Moving objects in the car causes you to take your eyes off the road, especially if they are a nuisance, like a bug buzzing around your head or an overly excited dog jumping around.
Impaired Driving
Impaired driving is responsible for more than half of all car crashes in the U.S. Impaired driving includes:
- Drunk driving
- Driving impaired by prescription medications
- Driving high on illicit substances
- Driving impaired by over-the-counter substances with drowsy effects
- Drowsy driving
Impaired driving is hazardous, causing slowed reaction time, difficulty perceiving distance, blurred vision, decreased hand-eye coordination, weakened concentration, dizziness, and fainting.
Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving is a combination of unsafe driving behaviors that endanger other people and property on the road. It translates to ignoring the safety of others and includes traffic offenses, such as:
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Passing on the right
- Cutting off other motorists
- Weaving in and out of traffic
- Failing to use turn signals
- Running red traffic lights and stop signs
Awareness and intent are relevant to aggressive driving. For example, a driver running a stop sign because they were distracted is a matter of negligence; however, cursing, honking, and chasing after the driver in front of them constitutes road rage.
Road Rage
Road rage involves deliberate intent to intimidate or cause harm to another person or driver. In addition to personal injury, it often leads to criminal charges, such as assault and reckless endangerment. Examples of road rage include:
- Yelling and verbally assaulting another driver or pedestrian
- Following another driver aggressively
- Driving on the shoulder illegally
- Racing another driver
- Honking and making rude gestures at drivers
- Trying to block another vehicle
- Intentionally ramming another vehicle
- Passing in prohibited areas
- Cutting drivers off and slamming on brakes (brake-checking)
- Aggressively flashing headlights or turning on bright headlights to blind the other driver’s vision
Speeding after and chasing down another driver while ignoring traffic signals is road rage. Exiting the vehicle to confront another driver is another form of road rage that often escalates to assault or fatal encounters. Victims of road rage should file a police report immediately and then contact a motor vehicle accident attorney to advise and protect their legal rights.
Night Driving
Driving at night comes with the risk of compromised vision, which can lead to dangerous road conditions and accidents. These conditions may involve:
- Glare from oncoming headlights
- Dark areas without adequate lighting
- A higher number of impaired drivers on the road with you
- Fatigue
- Wildlife running out in front of vehicles in the dark
Rush hour can be another compromising time to drive because roadways are full of commuters eager to get home. Drivers are distracted by the desire to hurry home, accompanied by a familiar drive that causes them to be less focused, which makes it especially dangerous.
Ignoring Traffic Signals
Whether intentionally running a red light or stop sign or being distracted and that being the outcome, ignoring traffic signals is another significant cause of motor vehicle accidents. Traffic signs drivers commonly ignore include posted speed limits, one-way, yield, stop, and road construction.
Road Conditions
Poor road conditions cause thousands of motor vehicle accidents annually. Typical hazardous road conditions for drivers on the road are:
- Potholes
- Cracks in the concrete
- Root intrusion
- Inadequate guardrails
- Shoulder drop-offs
- Road debris
- Inadequate signage
- Insufficient lighting
- Malfunctioning traffic lights
Landscaping or structures blocking views of oncoming traffic are additional road conditions that cause motor vehicle accidents. Contact a motor vehicle accident attorney if you have suffered an injury due to poor road conditions. You may be entitled to recover financial losses incurred from the accident.
Vehicle Defects
Cars are constructed of hundreds of parts; sometimes, those parts are defective and cause motor vehicle accidents. Examples include airbags, malfunctioning windshield wipers, poorly designed seats, electrical power systems, and other auto parts defects.
Weather
Hazardous weather conditions are another culprit in causing motor vehicle accidents. Weather conditions increasing the chances are:
- Rain (causes hydroplaning and fish-tailing accidents)
- Snow and sleet (blizzards)
- Ice and black ice
- Fog (impairs visibility)
Fall and winter windstorms, as well as winds from natural disasters, such as tornadoes and hurricanes, can cause debris to be blown in the paths of vehicles. Dangerous debris can also fall onto vehicles or impact or impale them with the force of high winds.
Street Racing
Street racing is a dangerous activity that is extremely popular among youths and gang-related organized crime operations. It causes injuries and deaths to drivers, passengers, onlookers of the race, and innocent bystanders—a recent study determined at least 50 fatalities associated with street racing annually.
How Can a Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney Help?
Having an attorney represent your legal interests gives you time to get the rest you need to heal and recover from injuries relating to your accident. In addition to their higher education and experience working cases like yours, motor vehicle accident lawyers help in many ways.
Thorough Investigation
Your attorney will launch a thorough investigation into your motor vehicle accident case. Their investigation includes, but is not limited to:
- Gathering evidence, such as police reports, photos, and security video footage of accidents, dam cash footage, and pictures of your injuries immediately following the accident
- Checking for event data recorders
- Gathering employer records, medical bills, and other documentation
- Interviewing and collecting statements from eyewitnesses
- Working with accident reconstruction experts to reconstruct the accident scene
If warranted, they will consult with expert witnesses, such as police officers, investigators, and medical, occupational, and vocational experts, who can help with the specifics of your case.
Protect You From Insurance Companies
Insurance companies employ manipulative tactics to disarm unsuspecting motor vehicle accident victims, hoping to get them to say anything they can to dismiss liability. An insurance claim’s adjuster’s purpose is to save the company money.
They behave friendly when they call, asking for recorded statements about your injuries and how you feel. However, the entire line of questioning is designed to find statements in anything you say that they can use to delay or deny your claim.
Having an experienced lawyer intercede in necessary communications ensures you don’t fall victim to their practices.
Damages and Negotiations
Determining financial losses and calculating damages can be complex, especially when pain and suffering damages are involved. Having a lawyer makes the process of maximizing damages much easier. Some recoverable losses are:
- Medical expenses (emergency services, hospitalization, surgeries, primary care)
- Rehabilitation services (physical therapy, chiropractic care, massage)
- Lost income (earnings, commissions, bonuses, benefits)
- Lost earning capacity
- Property damages
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium (protection, intimacy, spousal relations)
- Decreased quality of life
- Loss of activities
Funeral and burial or cremation services are other recoverable damages a victim can recover when a motor vehicle accident results in wrongful death. Families filing wrongful death claims may also recover loss of financial support damages.
Offer Contingent Fee Arrangements
Motor vehicle lawyers work within contingency fee arrangements, so there are no upfront costs or out-of-pocket expenses to victims already overwhelmed by surmounting debts caused by their accident.
Call A Skilled Motor Vehicle Attorney Today
If you have suffered an injury or need assistance with a wrongful death claim, resulting from a motor vehicle accident, schedule a free consultation with an Athens personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal options and right to financial compensation.