Rear-end collisions are the most common type of car accident, the ones that most attorneys who handle car accidents see when helping their clients injured as a result.
The NHTSA estimates that almost one-half of all 2-vehicle crashes are rear-end collisions, leaving thousands of people injured in these events each year with nearly 2,000 of those injuries being fatal.1
Among all the injuries sustained in rear-end collisions, lawyers assisting clients injured from such car crashes find that certain injuries tend to be more common.
Below are the most common injuries that personal injury lawyers see resulting from rear-end auto collisions.
1. Concussions
Concussions or brain injuries that occur when your brain bounces off the inside of the skull during an accident can happen more easily than expected.
For this reason, attorneys stress the importance of getting medical attention after a rear-end collision, even if you think you're fine because being jolted hard enough in the seat could result in a concussion without you realizing it.
2. Whiplash
Often occurring along with a concussion, whiplash is the next most common injury in rear-end collisions that is reported to lawyers handling car crashes.
Whiplash can result in muscle, spinal, and nerve injury and is caused when your head is whipped back and forth when an external impact happens.
Because your symptoms may not show up immediately, it’s essential to seek medical attention after any kind of rear-end impact.
3. Soft Tissue Injuries
Bumps, bruises, strains, and sprains are other injuries commonly sustained in rear-end collisions.
Bruises may heal in a few days or weeks; however, personal injury lawyers advise clients like you that sprains, strains, tears, and other soft tissue injuries could be more serious and take months or years to heal and sometimes not heal at all.
4. Spinal Injuries
Rear-end impacts that cause passengers in your car to be jerked or whipped around in their cars can also cause spinal injuries that are more serious than whiplash.
Herniated discs are common; with spinal fractures and nerve damage possible as well.
In worst cases, some people have been paralyzed after a severe rear-end collision.
5. Broken Bones
Broken bones are also common in many rear-end collisions, especially those that occur suddenly and result in a more severe impact.
Injuries such as these can be especially troublesome as complications are not uncommon and healing times can be lengthy as well as the possibility of loss of mobility, inability to work or get around, and other related problems.
6. Facial Injuries
Facial injuries occur in rear-end collisions when your passengers are jolted hard enough that they hit their faces against something in front of them, such as the dashboard, steering wheel, or back of the front seat.
Airbag deployment can also cause facial injuries, which can range from more minor injuries such as cuts and scrape to severe injuries like broken facial bones.
7. Traumatic Brain Injuries
The most serious of all injuries that car accident attorneys see after rear-end collisions are TBIs or traumatic brain injuries.
This can happen to you in a multitude of ways, from the brain bouncing inside your skull to skull fractures when your head hits something inside the car.
TBIs can be life-threatening and permanently affect your quality of life.
Rear-End Car Accidents And Serious Injuries
Rear-end collisions happen at a rate of more than 4,500 such crashes daily and are some of the more common accidents that lawyers who work primarily with car crash victims see that have resulted in serious injuries.2
While many drivers and passengers may escape with only minor injuries or no injuries at all, the possibility of severe and even life-threatening injuries is great.
Personal injury lawyers stress the importance that you use seat belts and cars equipped with crash protection or avoidance technology and always seek medical attention after a rear-end accident even if you initially think that everything is fine!
