Whether it’s a serious collision or minor fender-bender, car accidents and their consequences are frightening. In 2019, 314,377 crashes and 5,629 suspected injuries occurred here in Michigan alone. There was an average of 6 million accidents in the entirety of the United States, but that begs the question, how many people died in car accidents? The National Safety Council estimates a total of 38,800 people lost their lives from fatal accidents in 2019, which is actually a 2% decrease from the previous year. To protect yourself, it’s important to understand the most common types of car crashes, how they can harm you, and what to do after being in an accident.
What are Some of the Most Common Types of Car Accidents?
Rear-End Collisions – The most common types of accident is when a driver rear-ends, or hits the car in front of them. There are over 1 million rear-end collisions per year in the U.S. and many can cause back injuries. The easiest way to avoid a rear-end collision is to increase your following distance and not stop abruptly. Be predictable for yours and other drivers’ safety.
Single Vehicle Accident – These happen when only one car is involved. The driver may be to trying to avoid an animal in the road and swerve to the side, a tree may have abruptly fallen on the roadway due to unforeseen weather, rockslides, speeding, reaching for a cell phone, or drunk driving are also factors. Oftentimes, single vehicle crashes result in rollover crashes where the car rolls onto its roof and often causes injuries to muscles and ligaments.
T-Bone Accident – When a car strikes another at the side, creating a T-shape, this type of accident can have serious consequences. Besides whiplash and concussions, broken bones in the ribs and arms may occur due to the angle of impact.
Sideswipe Car – Cars can easily swipe the edges of another in narrow roads with construction, or when one’s not paying much attention. Oftentimes, these types of accidents are caused by changing lanes or improperly merging on the road. T-boning another vehicle can cause broken bones in arms, hands, and feet, depending on how fast the cars are moving.
Head-On Collision – When two cars driving in opposite directions crash head on, these are the most dangerous types of collisions and traumatic head injuries are prominent. Drunk driving, or driving while impaired, is the major cause of these types of accidents.
What to Do In A Car Accident?
Stop, Check for Injuries, and Call 911 – Stop your car and check to see if you or any of your passengers were hurt. Call the police and notify them if you need medical attention. It’s important to document your injuries.
Try to Move to a Safe Area – If you’re unable to move your car, be sure to protect yourself and find a safe place to wait off to the side of the road.
Exchange Information – Exchange your name, contact information, insurance, license, license plate number, car make and model, and location with the person you got into an accident with.
Document the Scene – Take pictures of the accidents (having a dashcam in your car is also a nice preemptive measure). If there are witnesses, exchange information.
Notify Insurance – Call your insurance while on the scene and start your claims process.
Some of the most common lawsuits are due to automobile injuries.
If you’ve been hurt in an accident consult with us today.
Sources:
https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/content/news/Michigan-traffic-fatalities-remain-below-1000-for-all-of-2019-570660341.html
https://www.nsc.org/road-safety/safety-topics/fatality-estimateshttps://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/car-accident-claims-basic-terms-defined.html