Speed and driver impairment are suspected factors in a recent early morning crash that seriously injured a man. The Lorain man lost control of his SUV and crashed into another SUV before hitting a utility pole. Both SUVs ended up rolling over and the Lorain man was ejected from his vehicle. The second driver suffered only minor injuries and was able to get out of his vehicle himself. According to police records, the Lorain man had a suspended driver’s license, and he was the subject of an arrest warrant at the time of the accident.
Vehicle Type and Its Correlation With Fatal Accident Rates
Any time an accident occurs, it is likely that those involved will suffer some type of injury. However, no accident is the same, as can be seen by this accident, in which both vehicles rolled over, yet the injuries sustained by each driver were drastically different. The types and extent of injuries often depend upon the vehicles involved in the accident and the type of accident the victim is involved in. Looking specifically at fatal accidents, more deaths are the result of accidents involving passenger vehicles and, within the category of passenger vehicles, the chance of occupant death is heavily dependent upon the size of the vehicle, with those riding in smaller vehicles at the greatest risk of suffering fatal injuries as a result of an accident. Statistics show that more single-vehicle crashes resulting in deaths involve pickups and SUVs; this is significantly impacted by the numbers of rollover crashes within that category of vehicles. When these pickups and SUVs are involved in multi-vehicle accidents, however, the occupants fare better than those in smaller vehicles.
Crash Type and Extent of Injuries
- Rear Impact Crashes. Looking next at the difference between common types of crashes, it is easy to see that certain types of impacts are more likely to result in severe injuries or deaths than others. Out of rear impact, side impact, and front impact crashes, the rear impact crash is the type least likely to result in fatalities, despite the fact that it is the most common of the three types of vehicle accidents; according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 30 percent of all crashes were rear impact crashes. Just because it is the least fatal type of accident, though, does not mean victims of rear impact crashes will emerge from their vehicles unharmed. In fact, even in cases in which there is little damage to the vehicles, the occupants can often be seriously injured in these types of accidents, as low-impact as they may be. Injuries such as whiplash are often the result; these injuries may not be apparent at first, but they may have long-lasting ramifications and complications for the victims.
- The Front Impact Crash. Front impact crashes – commonly known as head-on crashes when two vehicles are involved – are the most fatal types of crashes out of these three crash categories. Even though front impact accident victims usually have some warning, however brief, that an accident is going to occur, the crash is usually violent. The ranges of injuries that are often suffered in front impact crashes is wide and include just about any type of injury imaginable. Factors such as the type of vehicle you are in while involved in a front impact crash as well as the vehicle’s safety features such as airbags and seatbelts, and even your placement within the vehicle, will greatly determine what types and extent of injuries you may suffer.
- All Front Impact Crashes Are Not The Same. Within the category of front impact crashes are a few subcategories – front impact crashes can involve your vehicle and a stationary object such as a pole, wall, or other obstruction, or it can involve two vehicles that either hit head-on or in some other fashion involving the front of your vehicle. Rear ending another vehicle would be a front impact collision for you but a rear impact crash for the one you hit. Another configuration would be one in which you hit the side of another vehicle – sometimes referred to as broadsiding another car. Any of these subcategories can result in fatalities, serious injuries, and extensive damage to the vehicles involved, but the front impact crash between a vehicle and a stationary object is often one of the most serious, as there is often just no ‘give’ by the stationary object. Because of this, the vehicle usually takes the full impact of the collision. Not to be downplayed, the head-on collision is also notoriously dangerous and often has the same types of results as crashes between vehicles and stationary objects – again, fatalities, severe injuries, and extremely damaged cars. In these crashes, however, the impact of the collision is shared in some proportion between the two vehicles as they crumple against each other.
- Side Impact Crashes. The last of our three major categories of crash impact types are the side impact crashes. Ranking somewhere between the front impact and rear impact crashes on the scale of deadliness, these crashes occur when the front of another vehicle comes into contact with your vehicle’s side. The oncoming vehicle’s speed and weight, combined with exactly where the point of impact falls, will again affect the types and severity of the injuries the impacted vehicle’s occupants will suffer; the technological advancements with respect to side airbags do offer some protection in collisions such as these.
When Accidents Happen, Contact the Ohio Car Accident Lawyers
Regardless of the circumstances of an accident, it is likely that injuries will result. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, the Ohio Car Accident Lawyers can help. Our goal is to help you obtain the best possible recovery you can and get the relief you need to recoup your losses. Our dedicated auto accident attorneys in Cleveland, OH have experience handling all types of accident matters and know how to best pursue a case with any type of fact pattern to get the results you deserve. We will help you to understand your rights and responsibilities under the law and how the legal process works. We are here to help you when you need it – contact the Ohio Car Accident Lawyers to schedule your no cost, no obligation consultation today.
