Birmingham Rear-End Collision Attorney
Rear-end collisions are the most common type of car accident, accounting for 29% of all crashes. About two and a half million of these accidents happen every year, and while many are minor, many are not. Nearly a million rear-end collisions result in injury annually, and about 2,000 deaths occur in a rear-end crash every year. Data from the Insurance Information Institute show that rear-end collisions are responsible for over seven percent of all traffic fatalities and nearly 20% of all two-vehicle collision deaths.
Even when these accidents aren’t fatal, rear-end collisions can cause severe and catastrophic injuries, including concussions and traumatic brain injury, spinal cord and disk injuries, broken bones, facial scarring and more. Whiplash is another common injury from rear-end crashes that can be painful and debilitating and linger for a considerable length of time, sometimes leading to even more serious injuries if not promptly and properly treated.
The Birmingham rear-end collision attorneys at Goldasich, Vick & Fulk have expertise in cases involving catastrophic injuries, often recovering six and seven-figure settlements and verdicts, if not higher. If you’ve been seriously hurt in a rear-end crash or other motor vehicle accident in Birmingham, call our office for a free consultation regarding any potential claims you may have against the other drivers involved.
Causes of Rear-End Collisions on Birmingham Roads
Rear-end collisions are almost always the fault of the driver in the following vehicle. Most rear-end crashes happen when the lead vehicle is either stopped or moving very slowly. Unless the driver of the lead vehicle made an unreasonable maneuver like intentionally slamming on the brakes out of aggression toward the following vehicle, the driver of the following vehicle should theoretically be driving with enough care to avoid a rear-end crash. Common causes of rear-end collisions in Birmingham include:
- Lack of adequate response time and braking
- Driver distraction
- Following too close
- Unsafe lane changes
- Excessive speed
Rear-end collisions can also create multi-vehicle accidents. These kinds of accidents present complex fact patterns and legal issues when it comes to determining who is at fault for causing the wreck or a particular driver’s injuries. Complicated issues of liability can also arise in the following situations:
- The lead vehicle’s brake lights were not working
- A negligent driver ahead forced the lead vehicle to stop short
- A negligent driver’s actions forced the following vehicle into another lane where the collision occurred
Low-Speed Impacts Still Cause Serious Injury
If the crash occurred at a relatively low speed, the insurance company is likely to allege that your injuries can’t be serious based on that one fact alone. This is especially the case if the vehicle is not significantly damaged. These facts don’t tell the whole story, though. When a car gets rear-ended, the bodies in the car that gets hit suffer from the impact. The head and torso can be thrust forcefully forward and backward, often moving in opposite directions. The head can be whipped back and forth at several times the speed of the accident, so a crash at 20 mph will send the head and neck cracking like a whip at 60 mph. This is more than enough force to overextend and strain the muscles, nerves and tendons in the neck. Symptoms of whiplash or acceleration-deceleration syndrome can include pain in the neck, shoulder and lower back, limited mobility or range of motion in the neck and shoulder, pain or numbness in the hands and arms, blurred vision, dizziness, and difficulty with memory and concentration, among other symptoms.
Our Birmingham Auto Accident Attorneys Can Help
The insurance company will want to avoid a significant payout after a rear-end collision, and they have numerous tricks and tactics they play on injury victims. These include downplaying the serious nature of the accident and claiming your injuries are exaggerated, alleging that your injury comes from a degenerative disease and not from the accident, claiming that your injuries could not have been caused by the crash, or saying that you were at least partly to blame for causing the crash. If they can paint you as just partly at fault, you can be kept from making any recovery at all due to Alabama’s strict laws on contributory negligence.
The Birmingham personal injury attorneys at Goldasich, Vick & Fulk work every day to help accident and injury victims hold negligent actors accountable and achieve significant compensation for the harm that was done to them through no fault of their own. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Birmingham rear-end collision or other motor vehicle accident, call Goldasich, Vick & Fulk at 205-731-2566 for a free consultation with a team of dedicated and compassionate personal injury lawyers who will fight to get the results you need after a serious injury caused by another driver’s negligence.
