Types of Car Accidents

Rear-End Collisions

Rear-end collisions are the most common type of auto accident. Most happen at low speeds, but even so, they can cause whiplash injuries which can result in both brain and soft tissue injury. Contrary to popular belief, fault is not automatically assigned to the driver who hit the car in front of them.

Intersection Accidents

Accidents in intersections are also quite common. They often involve one of the vehicles making a left-hand turn into the path of an oncoming driver and/or someone running a red light or stop sign.

Head-On Collisions

Head-on collisions are rare, but they are very serious accidents and disproportionately fatal. They can happen when a car swerves into oncoming traffic for a variety of reasons including tire blowout or intoxication. They often make headlines when caused by wrong-way drivers on freeways and other heavily traveled roads.

T-Bone

T-bone accidents are almost always intersection accidents. They can occur when someone runs a red light or stop sign, or when a car is crossing traffic properly but gets slammed by a speeder.

T-bone accidents can also occur in parking lots.

Sideswipe

A sideswipe can be the result of an intentional or unintentional lane change. In many cases, they happen when a driver changes lanes and does not see the other car because it is in a blind spot or they just aren’t looking. Drivers who drift out of their lane unintentionally, due to intoxication or distraction can easily sideswipe another vehicle. Sideswipe can also be the result of evasive maneuvers.

Rollover

Rollovers are another rare but deadly type of accident. They often result in ejection injuries. A rollover is typically a single-vehicle accident, but can be caused by or result in a collision with another vehicle. Defects such as design flaws and faulty tires often cause rollovers. Crashworthiness defects, such as poor roof crush resistance can cause injuries to be worse in rollover accidents.

Multi-Car Pileup

The multi-car pileup is every driver’s worst nightmare. You can be hit over and over in this type of accident, and if you get out of your vehicle to try to escape the chaos you are in even more danger as a pedestrian.

If you have been hurt in an auto accident, find a qualified attorney today. You may have a limited amount of time to file a case. For more information about motor vehicle accidents, checkout How to Choose a Car Accident Attorney or What to do After a Car Accident.