Like any town, drivers in St. Louis, Missouri, end up getting involved in many types of car accidents. These accidents happen every day due to unexpected hazards and most often from distracted driving. The result is concern over the amount of damage, how much it will cost, who is to blame, and who will pay for the damages.
According to a research study by CarInsurance.com, one third of all car accidents are single-car accidents, involving hitting debris, animals, potholes, pedestrians, or a parked car. This page provides information about all the various types of car accidents that can occur: including rear end collisions, fender benders, head-on collisions, parking lot crashes, and those involving pedestrians.
Head-On Car Accidents
Head-on collisions occur when the front-end of two cars make impact with each other. They most often occur during what are known as lane departure accidents—when one of the two drivers leaves the driving lane they are currently in and collide into another vehicle. Drivers often overcorrect their steering when they realize they have left their lane, leading them straight into the path of an oncoming car. These types of accidents can occur on sharp curves or where there is no separation of lanes.
Depending on the rate of speed, head-on car accidents can lead to great injury or be fatal, as well as lead to significant vehicle damage.
Run-Off Road/ Single Vehicle Accidents
These car accidents involve one car being hit by another vehicle in which the force of the impact pushes the hit car off the road and potentially into a roadside object, such as a tree, sign, building, cyclists, animals, or even a pedestrian. A car can also do this without another car hitting it when the driver loses focus due to some type of weather condition, such as ice or standing water, causing the vehicle to veer off the road. Again, speed and driver skill impact the outcome of single vehicle accidents.
Rear-End/ Angle or Side Car/Intersection Car Accidents
These types of car accidents typically occur while a car is in a lane or a junction and involve one car crashing into the back of another one. Angle or side impact car accidents, also known as “T-bone car accidents” or “broadsided car accidents,” tend to happen in lanes or junctions and involve one car being hit on the side or at an angle. These types of accidents have a greater risk of occurring in urban areas followed by suburban and rural areas.
Being hit on the side of your car can often prove fatal for the driver or passenger because of the force of the car being pushed into them and the lack of side air bags in most vehicles.
For rear-end car accidents, whiplash can be a common injury, especially when the victim’s vehicle is at a stop and feels the force of impact more than if they had been moving when hit. The driver who has rear-ended the other vehicle is typically at fault because they were following too closely.
Sideswipe Car Accidents
Sideswipe car accidents happen when two parallel cars touch each other, making a swiping motion either while traveling the same direction or even the opposite direction. Typically, this kind of car accident only involves some cosmetic damage to both vehicles. The driver that makes contact first is usually to blame for this type of car accident.
Rollover Car Accidents
Rollover car accidents can be caused by another vehicle’s impact or as a solo accident in which the driver overcorrects, spins, and hits something at a rate of speed that causes the car to get air and turn over. A rollover car accident can result in great injury and even death. Those vehicles that have a higher center of gravity, such as sport utility vehicles and trucks, often rollover more than cars with a lower center of gravity.
Multi-Vehicle Pile-Ups
Multi-vehicle pile-ups are often related to bad weather conditions, such as rain, snow, ice, and fog. These conditions block the drivers view. Multi-vehicle pile-ups involve multiple vehicles that end up crashing into each other with some cars getting hit multiple times. The result is an increase in the amount of vehicle damage, greater risk of injury, and a greater challenge for the insurance company to figure out the percentage of fault allotted to each driver.
Parking Lot Car Accidents
Some car accidents do not even happen on roads or freeways but occur in parking lots at the shopping center, office, or supermarket. These types of accidents tend to be minor, such as when a vehicle pulls out of a space and does not see the car behind them incidentally backing right into them. Other types of parking lot car accidents include solo car accidents in which a driver hits a building next to the parking lot or some type of object in a parking lot, such as a fence, wall, light, or sign. These types of car accidents tend to involve minor injury to the driver and only some cosmetic damage to the vehicle.
Fender Bender Car Accidents
Fender-bender car accidents are exactly what they sound like; the fenders tend to only get scratches and some dents but nothing else beyond that cosmetic effect occurs. This is because these types of car accidents happen at a very low rate of speed and are mostly due to driver distraction or misjudgment about space.
Legal Assistance for Car Accidents
From the weather to the use of electronic devices while driving, our legal firm has seen a significant rise in the number of car accidents and in the number of clients that have sought our help. When you work with the experienced lawyers at the Finney Law Office, LLC, you will get proven results for your personal injury claims from being the victim of a car accident.
We have seen all types of car accident cases and have been successful in helping to get the justice and compensation our clients deserve. From consultation to research and deposition to the courtroom, the lawyers at Finney Law Office, LLC will use their compassionate spirit, deep knowledge and experience, and dedication to help you with your car accident personal injury claim. Contact us now to set up your free consultation.