A car accident occurs when a car collides with an object or another entity, such as a vehicle, a tree, a pedestrian, or an animal, resulting in injury, damage to property, or loss of life. Several factors contribute to car accidents, including bad weather conditions, drunk driving, distracted drivers, or badly designed roads.

Car accidents come with hefty bills. There are laws in place to ensure that victims are adequately compensated for medical bills and other costs they may incur. Victims should consider hiring experienced car accident attorneys to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party and get fair compensation for their losses.

Types of car accidents that can cause catastrophic injuries

Not all car crashes result in devastating injuries. However, certain types of collisions are known to cause severe injuries. Usually, multiple-vehicle collisions fall into this category. Here’s a list of collisions that are known to cause devastating injuries:

Rear-end collisions

According to the National Security Council, rear-end collisions accounted for 17.3% of all collisions with other vehicles. Rear-end collisions occur when a driver fails to pay attention to the vehicle before them and ends up in a crash.

For example, if a car slows down at a stop light but the car following it fails to notice or slowdown in time and crashes into the leading car, it’s called a rear-end collision. Rear-end collisions can result in minor or severe injuries. Common injuries that happen in rear-end collisions include neck injuries, concussions, and spinal cord injuries.

Head-on collisions

Head-on collisions involve two vehicles traveling in opposite directions. This can happen when a car moves into the oncoming lane, with or without the knowledge of the driver.

Head-on collisions can be deadly. Drivers may survive the accident, but it’s rare for victims of this type of accident to escape without serious injuries.

Head-on collisions account for 29.6% of collisions with other vehicles, and they are the second most common type of collision in multiple-vehicle accidents.

Side impact collision

Side-impact collisions occur when one vehicle slams into the side of another. This commonly happens at intersections or when one driver fails to observe the right of way.

Suppose there’s a red light at an intersection, but a driver fails to obey it and runs the light, slamming into the side of another vehicle. In that case, it’s called a side-impact collision.

These are also called “T-bone collisions.” As the car crashes into the door and there’s very little to protect the occupants, this type of crash results in broken bones or even death.

Multi-vehicle collisions

Multi-vehicle collisions involve 3 or more cars. Highway pileups are a well-known example of such accidents. This happens when multiple cars traveling on a highway crash into each other, forming a pileup.

When drivers fail to account for changes in speed in the car ahead of them and fail to stop or slow down in time, they crash into the car ahead of them. When several cars fail to do this in a row, it leads to a highway pileup.

Rollover accidents

Rollover accidents are common in lighter vehicles, like sports cars. They happen when one edge of the car “trips” over something like a sidewalk. Rollovers can also occur due to the impact of a side-impact accident. Thousands of people lose their lives due to rollover accidents every year.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, around 14% of all passenger vehicle deaths in 2022 were caused by rollover accidents. SUVs have a higher rollover risk because of their higher center of gravity. The same is true for light trucks as well.

Single-vehicle collision

Single-vehicle collisions make up 54% of all crash fatalities. These typically involve collisions with a stationary object, like a pole, or with an animal. Whether the driver is at fault for this type of accident depends on the circumstances, including road and weather conditions.

For example, while driving on the highway, if a deer suddenly crosses the road ahead of the driver and the driver ends up in an accident to avoid the deer, the driver may not be held liable.

Conclusion

There are several types of car accidents and different causes as to why they can occur. They can be deadly and cost a ton of money to repair damages.

Being aware of the drivers around you on the road can reduce the likelihood of catastrophic accidents.

However, you should hire a lawyer to defend your rights if you’re involved in an accident, despite your best efforts.