Of the six million motor vehicle accidents in the United States every year, about 40% are rear-end collisions. The most common causes are tailgating, excessive speed, and failure to account for poor weather conditions, such as snow, ice or rain.
The Typical Injuries Suffered in a Rear-End Collision
Far and away, the most frequent type of injury sustained in a rear-end collision is whiplash. Whiplash occurs when the force of a vehicle striking the back of your car caused your head to snap forward and backward in a whip-like fashion, extending beyond your normal range of motion. Whiplash can cause a herniated disc, where tears in the disc between your vertebrae cause the disc’s inner core to extend outside of the disc. The inner core can impinge on or irritate spinal nerves, causing serious pain, numbness and some muscle weakness. Whiplash can also lead to loss of cushioning or shock absorption in some of your joints, which can lead to limited range of motion around those joints.
Rear-end collisions also frequently result in head and face injuries. Because most rear-end accidents happen at slow speeds, they typically don’t trigger deployment of an airbag—airbags are generally set to go off at or about 20 mile per hour. In the absence of an airbag, you can suffer face or head injury when you strike the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield. However, even if the airbag opens, you can suffer serious injury. You can also suffer cuts and bruises if your seatbelt holds you firmly in place.
Contact the New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyers at the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr
To learn how the New Jersey car accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr can help you when you have suffered an injury in a rear-end motor vehicle accident, contact us online or call us at 732-537-8570.
