Rear-End Vehicle Collisions Are Common in New York
Although roadways can provide an efficient and fast way for you to get from Point A to Point B, the fact of the matter is that driving is no easy feat, particularly when you live in a major metropolis like New York City. From crazy cab drivers to incessant flows of pedestrian traffic, life in the Big Apple and surrounding areas of the Empire State can be a bit hectic. With all that chaos, you can guarantee that some impatient or distracted motorists are going to slam into each other.
However, rear-end collisions don’t just include minor fender benders. In many cases, drivers and passengers can suffer from moderate to life-threatening injuries, depending on how fast one or both vehicles were going. In a busy city like NYC, you can guarantee that these dangerous crashes are bound to happen at the drop a hat.
Let’s take a closer look and find out more about these accidents.
What Is a Rear-End Collision?
As the name suggests, a rear-end collision takes place when the front-end of a vehicle slams into the rear-end (ranging from the fender to the wheels) of another. In many cases, these accidents can be caused by a variety of factors that can include:
- Failure to pay attention to road signs and speed limits
- Failure to yield for stalled traffic
- Driving above the legal speed limit
- Maintaining limited control over the vehicle
- Following too closely behind another vehicle
According to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, four out of every 10 crashes in the state are rear-end collisions. For more information on other potential causes of these crashes, visit the official NY DMV page for defensive driving.
Frequency of Motor Vehicle Accidents
Here is an overview of statistics regarding injuries caused by rear-end crashes and additional motor vehicle accidents, courtesy of the New York Department of Health:
- On average, 12,093 people were hospitalized every year, an incidence of 61.5 cases per 100,000 New Yorkers.
- On average, 1,008 New Yorkers were sent to hospitals after being injured in a car accident.
- The group who suffered from the majority of these accidents are 20 to 24-year olds.
- Hospitalizations related to motor vehicle accidents dropped from 87.5 cases per 100,000 people in 2002 to 57.0 cases per 100,000 people in 2014.
Details about Whiplash
With the force of a rear-end collision, particularly a high-speed one, the victims are thrown forward and shoved backward. As a result, some people can suffer from a debilitating and irritating condition called whiplash.
As the name suggests, whiplash takes place when a victim’s head and neck is cranked forward and backward at an unnatural angle, in the same manner as a whip snapping. Symptoms of this injury include:
- Stiffness and pain in the neck
- Worsening pain with each movement
- Limited or loss of motion in the neck
- Headaches, particularly near the base of the skull
- Tender areas in the shoulders, neck, and back
- A tingly sensation or full-scale numbness in the arms
- Exhaustion and dizziness
Additional Injuries
Additionally, people involved in rear-end crashes can suffer from other injuries like:
- Bruises, cuts, or lacerations across the face and neck
- Mild to traumatic brain injuries
- Fractures
- Leg, ankle, and knee injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
Personal Injury Lawyer in New York
If you or a loved one have sustained injuries as the victims of a rear-end traffic collision, you will no doubt feel terrified and potentially very angry about these circumstances. At the same time, though, you will be concerned about what steps you can take next.
Although it might be difficult, you must stay calm. With the help of an attorney who is experienced with personal injury cases, you can gather viable resources to create a strong case in court. Here at Gattuso & Ciotoli, our attorneys have more than 50 years of combined legal experience and deliver some of the most high-quality legal services to injury victims in the vicinity of Syracuse, New York, and surrounding areas. For more information on our four practice areas and your case, contact us at (315) 314-8000 today.