Rear-end collisions are among the most common types of crashes. Yet, they often do not receive the respect that they deserve. In fact, people are often dismissive about rear-end crashes and may even fail to report them to local authorities because they don’t understand how dangerous such collisions could be.
Most people think of whiplash as the injury that follows a rear-end wreck. Whiplash can be a minor inconvenience, or it can cause debilitating pain. Depending on someone’s underlying health conditions and the severity of their injury, whiplash could require physical therapy and medication and might even keep someone from working. While whiplash can be a serious issue on its own, there is a far more serious injury commonly associated with rear-end crashes.
People can hurt their heads
Rear-end crashes sometimes involve vehicles in motion getting overtaken by a driver behind them traveling at a faster speed. However, rear-end crashes often involve someone in a stopped vehicle. When another vehicle strikes them from the rear, the people inside the slower or stopped vehicle jerk forward abruptly along with the vehicle itself. The greater the difference in speed, the greater the sudden motion.
The driver of the front vehicle could very easily hit their head on the steering wheel, causing a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Any other occupants could also be at risk of hitting their heads during a rear-end crash. TBIs are sometimes mild and they only involve a minor concussion. Other times, they cause moderate to severe permanent damage to the brain.
People can experience a host of different life-altering symptoms including changes to their personalities, difficulty remembering things and physical challenges involving motor function or balance. A rear-end crash is often the fault of the driver in the back because they did not maintain adequate following distance or made other preventable mistakes.
Those in a front vehicle with serious injuries may have the option of filing an insurance claim or possibly a personal injury lawsuit against the rear driver who caused their collision. Especially when someone has an injury that could long affect their earning potential and might generate thousands of medical expenses, seeking compensation after a car crash could be a smart choice.