Every motor vehicle accident in Georgia is different, yet these mishaps have common characteristics that make them fit broad categories. The various accident types can also help you understand what kind of injuries they can produce, how severe they may be and where liability falls.
Eight categories of accidents
Although you’ll find no definitive rules defining categories of car accidents, you’ll find eight types that share characteristics. Recognizing the patterns of each type can possibly help you avoid them. The types are:
• Single car
• Multiple car
• Rear impact
• Head-on
• Lateral impact
• Rotational impact
• Sideswipe
• Rollover collision
Accidents involving one car usually happen when the vehicle’s driver tries to avoid a road hazard, an animal, or another motorist’s actions. The driver generally loses control, resulting in the vehicle crashing into something. Multi-vehicle accidents involve three or more vehicles, usually because of one driver’s error. They are common on highways and roads with high speed limits. Rear-end crashes are precisely what they sound like. One car crashes into the rear of another, often due to distractions. Head-on collisions are some of the most severe, caused by highly reckless behavior. They frequently result in catastrophic injuries or death. Lateral impacts occur at intersections when a driver doesn’t obey traffic laws. Rotational accidents happen when a vehicle spins around due to high impact, causing various injuries. Sideswipes are sometimes hit-and-run mishaps that happen on highways. Rollovers also happen because of high impacts and can cause death.
Getting justice for negligent acts
Most car accidents are caused by the negligence of one or more drivers. Extremely severe or catastrophic accidents can result in extensive personal injuries that require considerable medical intervention and physical therapy. Some victims may even sustain full or partial disabilities for the remainder of their lives.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a severe car accident, compensation from insurance companies may not be enough to cover your costs. You may be eligible to file a claim for your injuries along with pain and suffering to help pay for treatments, living expenses, lost wages and more.