Types of Car Accidents

Nassau County Personal Injury Lawyer

The United States Census Bureau estimates that approximately six million car accidents occur every year and half of those involve injuries to the drivers or passengers. Out of those three million, two million Americans sustain permanent injuries that will follow them for the rest of their lives.

Thanks to the fast paced environment of New York, thousands of those injuries occur within the borders of the state as drivers, pedestrians and cyclists are involved in over 300,000 accidents every year.

As often as car accidents occur, it should never be forgotten that each and every one involves one person's life, which is drastically changed in moments. Medical bills, property damage repairs and even the inability to work will be inevitable obstacles for almost 200,000 New Yorkers every year. Those individuals faced with these dilemmas deserve to be compensated for the losses and pain they suffered at the hand of other more negligent drivers.

Just like no two people are alike, each car accident involves a different scenario in a different setting. There are, however, a few notable types of car accidents that help to define the situation and outline the extent of damage. In most cases, it is safe to claim that speed will be a determining factor for how serious the accident is, no matter what the type.

Here are examples of some of those types of car accidents:

Rear End Accidents

These are by far the most common type of accidents, especially in the stop and go traffic that is so prevalent around Nassau County and New York. Rear end accidents typically occur when the front end of one car comes into collision of the back end of the car in front of it. The most common assumption is that the car in the back will be held liable for the damage and injuries, which is a fairly accurate assumption.

There are specific situations that may point the blame on the other car either because it was making an unsafe lane change or because it stopped for no apparent reason. Damage of rear-end accidents can range from minor to severe primarily depending on how fast the speed of the car was at the time of impact. Serious rear end accidents are also frequently found as the cause of pile up accidents. When a car collides with a stopped or slow moving car at a high speed, it can cause it to collide with the car in front, creating a "domino effect."

T-Bone Accidents

These accidents earned their nickname from the shape that the two colliding cars make on impact. Most typically, t-bone or side impact collisions occur when one car drives head first into the side of another car, forming the shape of a "T." These types of car accidents have the potential to be extremely serious if not fatal, especially if the impact occurs on the side of the car where the driver or a passenger is seated. The most unfortunate aspect of this type of accident is that damage to the cars is extremely unbalanced, with one car suffering far more than the other.

Head On Collisions

Head on collisions may possibly be the most dangerous type of car accident possible. As the title suggests, head on collisions involve two cars driving in opposite directions that come into head on collisions with one another. Given the nature of the accident, it is typically found that one of the cars was driving in the wrong lane at the time of the accident, which is why there were two cars driving in the opposite direction of each other but in the same lane. Fatalities are far too common in head on collisions and even survivors are likely to experience catastrophic injuries due to the danger of such an impact.

Multi-Vehicle Accidents

Any type of accident can easily lead to a multi-vehicle car accident, meaning that more than two cars are involved. Usually, an initial crash involving one or two cars will occur. That ordeal may grow into a multi-vehicle incident if other cars passing by fail to react in time to avoid colliding with the original cars. As mentioned before, rear end collisions can easily lead to multi-car accidents, as can truck accidents and t-bone accidents.

Find Representation for a Car Accident in Nassau County Today

It would be inaccurate to claim that one type of car accident is worse than another. In reality, all car accidents have the potential to be life-altering occurrences. It has been found that the leading cause of car accidents, no matter what type, can be traced back to negligence on the part of one or more persons. Liability can be found in the manufacturer of the automobile, the other driver involved or even the authorities responsible for the design of the road. In any case, if you have been involved in a car accident and you were injured, the Nassau County personal injury attorneys at our firm want to help you get compensated for everything you have lost.

Contact our firm today and learn more about how the Law Offices of Charles R. Gueli can help you.