How Often Do Rear-End Collisions Happen?
According to the Pennsylvania Crash Facts & Statistics report, rear-end collisions were the second-most common type of multi-vehicle collision in 2022. If you eliminate single-vehicle crashes and pedestrian accidents, just under 31% of car accidents involved a front-to-rear collision that year.
Pennsylvania drivers had 22,465 rear-end crashes, exceeded only by angle collisions occurring at intersections.
Rear-End Collision Risk Factors
Rear-end crashes happen when the driver of a trailing vehicle strikes the back of a leading car. These crashes happen for many reasons, including:
- Inattention
- Distractions
- Tailgating
- Speeding
- Cutting off other drivers
In most cases, the responsibility for maintaining a safe distance falls on the driver of the rear vehicle. However, the front driver must also exercise care to leave a safe gap when overtaking or changing lanes.
Common Rear-End Crash Injuries in Pennsylvania
A rear-end car accident causes the occupants of the rear vehicle to whip forward. If they are not wearing their seat belts, they can strike the windshield, dashboard, or steering wheel. If they wear their seat belts, they hit their chests instead of their heads. However, their heads whip forward, stretching and stressing their spine. They then rebound into their seats, causing their spines to compress.
The same forces affect the occupants of the front vehicle but in the reverse order. Occupants of the front vehicle get pushed into their seats first before bouncing forward. In either case, they can suffer the following injuries:
Neck Strain or Sprain
Your neck includes seven cervical vertebrae. These vertebrae support your head while remaining flexible enough to turn and nod your head. Ligaments hold the vertebrae together, forming the cervical spine. Tendons anchor muscles to the cervical spine to provide neck strength and movement.
Neck strain happens when the collision forces hyperextend and damage the neck tendons or muscles. This injury can cause the following symptoms:
- Muscle pain and stiffness
- Swelling
- Weakness
- Spasms
Neck sprains happen when the whipping of your head stretches and damages the neck ligaments. A sprain can cause several symptoms, including pain, inflammation, and limited range of motion.
Mild strains and sprains will heal in four to six weeks. During recovery, your doctor will prescribe rest and anti-inflammatory medication. Severe strains and sprains could require several months to heal. You may also need physical therapy after a severe injury.
Herniated Disc
Your spine has collagen discs to cushion the vertebrae. These discs can weaken and deform due to trauma. When a disc weakens and sags, you have a bulging disc. When the fibers of a disc separate, you have a herniated disc. In either case, the injury causes the following symptoms:
- Spine instability
- Back pain
- Numbness and weakness in your arms, legs, hands, and feet
- Pain that radiates into your shoulders, hips, and limbs
A herniated disc will not heal. If the symptoms are too much for you, doctors can either remove the disc or replace it with an artificial disc.
Concussion
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that happens when an accident jostles your brain. The mild damage to the brain from rattling inside your skull can produce symptoms such as:
- Headache
- Confusion
- Blurry vision
- Clumsiness
- Slurred speech
- Amnesia
- Drowsiness
Symptoms may come and go as your brain swells and recovers. Concussions usually heal in two to three months.
Who Is Liable for Rear-End Collisions?
Who is at fault for a rear-end crash? Fault for car accidents depends on negligence law. Not every car accident results from negligence. If your car gets pushed into the back of another car by a flood, neither driver is liable. However, in many cases, negligence will determine which driver must pay for the property damage and injuries that resulted from the crash.
Determining Negligence in Car Accidents
Negligence happens when a driver fails to exercise reasonable care. To prove negligence, your rear-end car accident lawyer in Lancaster must prove the other driver broke traffic laws or did something that was unreasonably dangerous to other road users.
Which Driver Is Liable for Rear-End Crashes?
In most cases, the rear driver is liable for a rear-end collision. The rear driver must maintain a safe following distance for the speed of the vehicles as well as the traffic, road, and weather conditions. When the air is foggy or the roads are slick, drivers must leave more space for the vehicle in front of them.
Occasionally, the front driver will be liable for a rear-end crash. This will happen when the front driver fails to give the rear driver enough space or warning to avoid a collision. Thus, a Lancaster rear-end accident lawyer might prove a front driver was liable for a crash if they cut off or brake-checked the other driver.
Compensation Available to Rear-End Crash Victims
Should I get a lawyer for a rear-end car accident? A rear-end car accident lawyer in Lancaster can pursue a compensation claim for economic and non-economic losses from the at-fault driver and their insurer. The compensation can include financial losses such as past and future medical costs, unearned wages, and diminished future income. It also covers quality-of-life losses such as pain, suffering, and disability.
Wrongful Death Compensation for Rear-End Crashes
If your child, parent, or spouse died in a rear-end crash caused by someone else’s negligent or wrongful actions, you can file a wrongful death claim. Under Pennsylvania law, you can recover the financial contributions your deceased relative would have made over their remaining lifetime. You can also recover medical and funeral expenses from the accident.
Preventing Rear-End Collisions
You can take steps to reduce your risk of causing a rear-end collision, such as slowing down and putting your phone away. But you can do little to avoid someone else crashing into your vehicle. Try to avoid tailgaters by allowing them to pass, and always wear your seat belt in case someone hits you.
Were You Rear-Ended in Pennsylvania? Call Atlee Hall Today
A rear-end crash can cause severe injuries that require expensive medical care. Contact Atlee Hall to talk to a rear-end car accident lawyer in Lancaster about your crash injuries. Our experienced attorneys stand up to auto insurers and at-fault drivers.
Call (717) 393-9596 today or contact us for a free consultation with one of our car accident lawyers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Areas We Serve
Our rear-end accident lawyers in Pennsylvania are based in Lancaster, but we take cases across the state as far west as Allegheny County.
Where Were You Injured?
- Lancaster County
- York County
- Dauphin County
- Adams County
- Columbia County
- Cumberland County
- Juniata County
- Lebanon County
- Luzerne County
- Lycoming County
- Mifflin County
- Montour County
- North Umberland County
- Perry County
- Schuylkill County
- Snyder County
- Union County
