Car accidents are never a good thing, but rear-end collisions are especially troubling. The innocent victims of inattentive or distracted drivers typically never see the collision unfolding or frantically realize the likelihood of it occurring, yet are helpless to stop it. What's even more alarming and heartbreaking is a rear-end collision that injures, or kills, children or entire families.
Such was the case in a three-car crash in Belleville, Illinois, in July. Two children — a 9-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl — were passengers in a small car rear-ended by a van. The children sustained serious injuries, and were airlifted to a St. Louis hospital. Local police were waiting to find out the extent of the children's injuries before determining what charges will be filed against the driver who caused the crash.
According to police on the scene, alcohol was apparently not a factor in the rear-end collision. The lack of tire skid marks indicated the van's driver never slowed down, but continued at at least the maximum speed of 55 mph as he rear-ended the car, pushing it into the vehicle immediately ahead of it. Whether reckless, distracted or simply inattentive, the damage caused by the van's driver changed the lives of at least two people that day.
Common Injuries Sustained During Rear-End Collisions
Chicago car accident attorneys have seen accident victims suffer from a variety of injuries, depending on the severity of the crash in which they were involved. Neck injuries are the most common injuries sustained in rear-end collisions and can include whiplash, soft cervical tissue injuries, esophageal hemorrhaging and spinal cord damage due to hyperextension.
Other than head and neck injuries, individuals involved in a rear-end collision may suffer back and upper body injuries, ranging from strains and sprains, to torn muscles and ligaments. Fractures, or broken bones, are also not uncommon.
Rear-end collisions, while the most common type of automobile accident, are the least likely to be fatal. The Illinois Department of Transportation statistics related to car accidents reveal that approximately one in four car crashes involved a rear-end collision in 2009, the most recent time period for which statistics are available. Of the almost 90,000 injuries related to Illinois auto accidents, over a quarter of those were caused by a rear-end collision.
Whose Fault Is It? Responsibility for Chicago Rear-End Crashes
The driver who rear-ends another vehicle is often assumed to have caused the crash. Under normal circumstances, every driver must remain alert, attentive and undistracted while operating a vehicle. Typically in rear-end collisions, the driver was either going too fast to stop or following too closely to avoid a collision when the car in front of it stops or slows.
An exception to this involves chain-reaction or multi-car crashes. When a car forces another car to collide with yet another car, multiple rear-end collisions may occur that are ultimately the fault of one driver. Rear-end collisions involving multiple cars often occur at red lights or on highways or interstates when conditions are suddenly changed by weather, debris on the road or another crash.
Yet another exception involves 'fault' by the vehicle that was rear-ended: failure to maintain a car in proper working order, including fully-functioning brake and tail lights may shift responsibility for the rear-end collision to the driver of the rear-ended car. Issues surrounding responsibility for rear-end collisions can be quite complex.
After You Seek Medical Treatment, Seek an Illinois Personal Injury Attorney for Legal Advice
If you have been injured in a rear-end collision in the greater Chicago area or elsewhere in Illinois, a car accident attorney can help you understand your options for pursuing compensation from the at-fault driver's insurance, or your own if the driver was uninsured. When you've lost wages because you cannot work, or have medical bills that you cannot pay all because another driver wasn't paying attention, a Chicago lawyer can help you fight back.
