Rear-End Collisions

Rear-end collisions frequently occur at intersections, on freeways, and in parking lots across the State of Texas. As more and more drivers engage in multitasking while driving, rear-end accidents are on the rise. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), although rear-end collisions account for only 6% of fatal automobile crashes, they account for 28% of all automobile accidents, making them one of the most frequent types of automobile accidents in the United States, and according to the National Transportation Safety Board:

• Between 2012 and 2014, almost half of all two-vehicle crashes were rear-end crashes. These crashes killed more than 1,700 people each year.
• In that same time frame, the NTSB investigated nine rear-end crashes involving a passenger or a commercial vehicle striking the rear of another vehicle, which killed 28 and injured 90 people.
• A 2007 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study showed that 87 percent of rear-end crashes involved a driver failing to attend to the traffic ahead.

When you are in a rear-end collision, it is important that you get the right personal injury lawyer to make sure that you get compensated for your injuries and vehicle damage. The legal team at Chandler | Ross, PLLC has extensive experience working on all kinds of car accident cases, including rear-end collisions, and will make sure that you receive the full compensation that you deserve for your damages.

Common Injuries after a Rear-End Collision

Due to the nature of these kinds of accidents, many of the injuries caused by a rear-end collision are head and neck injuries. Jarring forces cause a whip-like motion and can lead to dangerous and life-changing injuries—even at low speeds. Some of the most common rear-end accident injuries include:

• Whiplash
• Spinal cord injuries
• Soft tissue injuries to back, neck, and shoulders
• Herniated Discs
• Bulging Discs
• Ruptured Discs
• Fractured Vertebrae
• Compression Fractures
• Soft Tissue Injury
• Pulled Muscles
• Concussions
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Broken bones
• Lacerations

While deaths are not as common in rear-end accidents, they sadly do still occur. More common, however, are injuries that lead to disabilities and lifelong complications.  The most common injury associated with rear-end collisions is “whiplash.” Whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. Whiplash most often occurs during a rear-end auto accident, but the injury can also result from other trauma.  Whiplash is medically known as cervical acceleration-deceleration (CAD) syndrome.

The most common symptom of whiplash is neck pain, which can range anywhere from mild to pins-and-needles tingling to excruciating. Other symptoms can include neck stiffness or reduced range of motion, neck instability, shoulder and/or upper back pain, or headache. There could also be tingling, weakness, or numbness that radiates into the shoulder and/or down the arm. Whiplash symptoms can be numerous, complicated, long-lasting, and hard to diagnose, which is why they are commonly known as whiplash-associated disorders. Concurrent injuries may also be symptomatic, such as a stinger, concussion, radiculopathy (pinched nerve with radiating pain into the arm), or shoulder injury. If a whiplash injury causes a person to have reduced physical or mental abilities—even if they are just temporary—it can result in increased social isolation.

Anyone who experiences physical symptoms after a motor vehicle accident is advised to immediately see a doctor for an evaluation and treatment. If you experience any of the following signs, please seek immediate medical attention:

• Severe neck, back or shoulder pain
• Stiffness or reduced range of motion
• Neck instability
• Pain, tingling, numbness, and/or weakness that radiates into the shoulders, arms, hands and/or legs
• Problems with balance or coordination
• Mental health issues, such as increased irritability, depression, trouble sleeping, reduced concentration, or other drastic changes in behavior

Seeking treatment early for whiplash is highly recommended.  Whiplash alone can lead to pain, suffering, decreased quality of life, and an inability to continue with your chosen profession. When this occurs, you will need compensation to pay for ongoing and/or future medical expenses, surgeries, rehabilitation, physical therapy, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and pain and suffering.

For some people, whiplash symptoms can be so minor that they go away within a couple days. For others, the symptoms can become varied and chronic, ranging from severe pain to cognitive and emotional problems. Whiplash symptoms might manifest immediately following the acceleration-deceleration accident, or they can take a few hours or days to appear. Oftentimes the exact underlying cause remains unknown for some whiplash symptoms despite today’s best diagnostic techniques. Due to the potentially high number and varied complexity of whiplash symptoms, they are sometimes collectively referred to as whiplash-associated disorders.

Some of the most common symptoms of whiplash include:

• Neck pain. The pain could range anywhere from mild to severe. It might be located in one spot or general area, or it could also radiate down the shoulder into the arm and/or hand. Typically, neck pain from whiplash is caused by ligament sprains or muscle strains, but it can also be caused by injuries to discs, nerves, joints, and/or bones.
• Neck stiffness or reduced range of motion. Reduced neck mobility could be from pain, tightening of a muscle, or a mechanical problem, such as with a joint.
• Headache. A neck muscle tightening, or a nerve or joint of the cervical spine becoming irritated could cause headaches.
• Neck instability. This whiplash symptom commonly results from stretched or torn soft tissues, such as ligaments. Although, it could also be caused by a fracture.
• Shoulder and/or upper back pain. If the neck’s soft tissues, such as muscles or ligaments, are torn or strained during whiplash, then sometimes that pain can also be referred to other soft tissues in the upper back and shoulders.
• Radiating tingling, weakness, or numbness. Sometimes whiplash can cause one of the neck’s spinal nerve roots to become compressed or inflamed, which can lead to cervical radiculopathy symptoms of tingling, weakness, and/or numbness radiating down the shoulder, arm, hand, and/or fingers. Typically, cervical radiculopathy is only felt on one side of the body, but in rare cases it can be felt on both sides if more than one nerve root is affected.

Other whiplash-associated disorders can include:

• Dizziness. Whiplash-related dizziness could be from neck instability or even a concussion (mild traumatic brain injury).
• Vision problems. Blurry vision or other visual deficits could result from any number of causes, including concussion or damage to a nerve. A vision problem could also contribute to dizziness.
• Emotional changes. A person might become more irritable, anxious, or even depressed. It can be hard to know if these changes are due to a concussion, post-traumatic stress syndrome, pain from the neck injury, or stress from the accident’s aftermath which could include litigation, financial worries, and/or the involvement of loved ones who were also injured.
• Ringing in ears. Also called tinnitus, this ringing or buzzing in one or both ears can range from intermittent and minor to constant and highly distracting. Any number of problems from whiplash could lead to tinnitus, such as an injury to the part of the brain that controls hearing, nerve or vascular damage, jaw injury, or even stress.
• Trouble getting good sleep. A person might find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. These problems with sleeping well and waking refreshed could be due to various whiplash-related factors, such as pain, stress, or concussion.
• Fatigue. Lack of energy could be related to difficulty sleeping, depression, stress, pain, concussion, or various other causes.
• Memory and/or concentration problems. It’s possible for someone to develop cognitive symptoms after a whiplash injury. These troubles could involve difficulty with memory or thinking. Sometimes these symptoms start shortly after the injury, or they might not show up until hours or days later. Cognitive problems could be from a brain injury, or perhaps they could be related to various types of stress.
• Challenges with chewing, swallowing, or speaking. Sometimes trauma to muscles around the jaw can cause chewing or yawning to be painful.
• Difficulty swallowing. Injury to the larynx or esophagus could make swallowing painful or more difficult.

If you and/or a family member are experiencing any of the symptoms, you are highly recommended to seek medical evaluation and obtain the appropriate medical treatment. The legal team at Chandler | Ross, PLLC are here to help.  Please contact us for a free consultation.

Fault for Rear-End Collision – Distracted Driving

In most cases, the driver in the back will be found at fault for a rear-end collision.  This is generally because the driver in the back has a duty to maintain a safe speed and a safe traveling distance from the vehicle in front of him or her, and the driver in the front generally has the right of way to maintain his or her lane of travel.  Almost always the at-fault driver (the one at the rear) is not paying attention. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) that in 2015, 391,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver and the following statistics:

There are three main types of distraction:

• Visual: taking your eyes off the road;
• Manual: taking your hands off the wheel; and
• Cognitive: taking your mind off of driving.

Anything that takes your attention away from driving can be a distraction. Sending a text message, talking on a cell phone, using a navigation system, and eating while driving are a few examples of distracted driving. Any of these distractions can endanger the driver and others.

Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction. When you send or read a text message, you take your eyes off the road for about 5 seconds, long enough to cover the length a football field while driving at 55 mph

However, there are certain cases in which the driver in front may be found at fault. To prove that the driver in front is at fault, it’s important to gather as much evidence as possible – including camera footage, pictures, police report, and witness statements if available. The most common conditions in which the driver in front may be at fault for the rear-end collision include:

• When another driver cuts you off
• When another driver turns or makes a U-turn when you have the right-of-way
• When another driver is driving recklessly
• When the brake lights of the driver ahead of you aren’t functioning
• When another driver is at a complete standstill on the roadway
• When the driver ahead of you reverses unexpectedly

The rear-end collision attorneys at Chandler | Ross, PLLC are here to help you. With offices in Denton, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, we are well positioned to help protect your compensation rights for all medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, mental anguish and more.  Don’t wait, and don’t compromise – contact us today to see how we can help you.  In most cases, you pay nothing unless we settle your case or win a verdict.  Contact us  now at (940)-800-2500 or support@chandlerrosslaw.com to schedule your free personal injury case evaluation and consultation.