Auto & Car Accidents

• Rear Impact

  Although a rear-end car accident collision is the least likely fatal type of car accident, they are the most common incidents on the road today – with approximately 2.5 million occurring each year. But, they are also the least protected by auto manufacturer safety measures. The rising use of onroad distractions such as cell phones coupled with the expanding number of careless drivers on the road, have contributed to an annual increase in rear-end car accident collisions and the injuries stemming from such collisions.

  While insurance companies systematically deny that many victims of rear-end collisions are injured in any way, chronic and debilitating injuries often result from even a minor collision. The only appropriately conducted research on the topic demonstrates that there is no correlation between vehicle damage, and occupant damage. Despite this, insurers will fight these claims through to trial using experts reliant upon junk science to deceive jurors to believe no injuries can occur, and making minimal settlement offers if any at all. Symptoms of injuries, such as “whiplash” (hyperextension and hyperflexion of the neck) can appear days and even months after the incident, and can be lifelong and excruciatingly painful. Don’t take any chances on your physical health – see a doctor trained in treating traumatic injuries immediately.

  If you have received injuries because of driver negligence, you should contact a qualified and experienced personal injury lawyer who understands the complexities of personal injury law and insurance company procedures. It’s important to start the process as soon as possible so that the statutes of limitations doesn’t prevent you from filing a claim.

• Side Impact

  A common collision on American roads occurs when the front of another vehicle strikes the side of your vehicle, resulting in a side impact (or “T-Bone”) collision. These types of collisions are responsible for over 9,000 deaths annually – only head on collisions are more deadly. In fact, in 2004, 26% of all fatal auto accidents and 31% of all non-fatal auto accidents were the result of side impact collisions. Most of these incidents occur at intersections as the result of a failure to stop at a stop sign or red light, and are thus preventable. Since they are preventable, these aren’t “accidents;” these are the result of someone’s negligence, and are correctly called a “crash” or a “collision.”

  Although side impact collisions are often serious, even minor collisions can cause debilitating and chronic injuries. If you are injured in a collision, it’s important to start formal health care treatment as soon as possible because it improves your ability to heal completely from the injury. Unfortunately, many people injured in collisions, despite their best efforts, do not fully recover from their injuries.

• Head on Impact

  Head on impacts are the most deadly of all collisions. They also are a high percentage of the cases that we deal with, including cases in which one or more of the people involved die as a result of the impact. But for those who don’t, the collision can often be devastating, causing serious injuries, lifelong disability, and the need for permanent ongoing care. Often times, these cases also raise other important issues in a legal case because the oncoming driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

• High Speed

  Although a person is injured in a motor vehicle accident every 10 seconds in the United States and someone is killed every 13 minutes, high speed collisions can be especially devastating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that speeding alone was a contributing factor in almost 30% of all fatal crashes last year. For the innocent survivors of such severe car accident crashes, the recovery process can be horribly painful and exceedingly expensive.

  If you have been injured in a high speed car accident collision, you may be injured more seriously than you initially know. Often injuries to the ligaments in the spine will lead to “instability” which can compromise your spinal cord. We often see mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI) and inner ear injuries result from these collisions, that are not immediately apparent to you or your doctors. These are the type of cases we deal with regularly, but they are often overlooked or misunderstood by many doctors and lawyers. You should communicate with a qualified and experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible so that you can be appropriately compensated for the injuries caused by the car accident collision, and for the consequences of the injuries on your life.

• SUV Rollover

  Sales of Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) have sky-rocketed in the United States, accounting for over 25 percent of all new-vehicle sales in 2004 and representing almost 14 percent of all registered vehicles in the nation. There are now more than 22 million SUV’s on the road. Many buyers ironically cite safety issues for their decision, claiming that they feel more protected because they are larger, heavier and higher than cars. Unfortunately, when it comes to rollover car accidents – the leading cause of death on America’s highways – SUVs are the riskiest vehicles driven today. New fatality statistics show that over 14,000 people died last year in car accident rollovers, with SUVs averaging the highest rate at nearly 62 percent. This comprises about 33% of all crash fatalities, despite the fact that rollovers constitute only 4% of all crashes.

  To make matters worse, few meet the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration roof safety standards for automobiles – which are woefully low to begin with. Rollovers are among the most precarious of these situations, usually occurring because of the absence of a lower center of gravity. Tragically, when making a normal evasive maneuver that cars are able to safely complete every day, rapid-fire corrective action causes SUVs to tip and roll and the results can be disastrous.

  The danger of SUV rollovers is now epidemic. Rollovers themselves accounted for more fatalities in the United States than side and rear crashes combined. Car accidents from rollovers also resulted in tens of thousands of serious personal injuries, including fractured skulls and paralysis. Rollover accidents in SUVs are even more dangerous than rollovers in regular cars – based on studies conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), 79 percent of fatalities in a single-SUV crash involve a rollover compared to only 45 percent for passenger vehicles.

If you were injured in an auto vs. auto collision or other car accident, DeShaw Trial Lawyers has experienced personal injury attorneys who can help. Extensive experience in representing clients seriously injured in car accident and truck collisions allows these lawyers to better help clients who have received head injuries, brain injuries, inner ear injuries, neck and back injuries, amputations, paralysis, paraplegia, quadriplegia, or death. Hesitating in pursing your case may prevent you filing a claim for injuries, under what is called a “statute of limitations.”

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