Types of Car Accidents

For more than three decades, the law firm of Glover Law Firm has focused on helping car accident victims and their families in Elizabeth City, the Outer Banks and communities across Northeastern North Carolina.

This experience has given our legal team the ability to handle many different types of single-car and multiple vehicle accidents, which generally fall into the following categories:

There is a reason why auto accidents happen, and that  reason is usually driver error. In North Carolina, you can seek compensation if the driver who caused your crash acted carelessly or recklessly.  These accidents may involve:

• Aggressive Driving – Many drivers cause accidents by speeding, tailgating, making dangerous passes, failing to yield the right-of-way or racing through intersections because they missed a stop sign or tried to beat a stop light. In fact, speeding is estimated to cause more than 20,000 crashes in N.C. each year.
• Impaired Driving – Drunk driving or drugged driving is a serious problem in North Carolina. According to the most recent N.C. Department of Transportation statistics, more than 9,000 crashes occurred in 2011 involving drug or alcohol use. Many impaired driving crashes are actually single-car accidents that result in the injuries and deaths of passengers.
• Fatigued Driving – A person who drives while drowsy can be just as dangerous as a drunk driver. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 83,000 accidents across the U.S. can be attributed to fatigued driving.
• Distracted Driving – While distracted driving can involve any kind of activity that takes one’s attention off the road – grooming, eating or changing a radio station – the primary concern today lies with talking on a cell phone while driving and texting behind the wheel.

The severity of a car accident depends on how it occurred. The follow are the most common types of crashes that we tend to see in Northeastern North Carolina:

• Head-on collisions – These are commonly called “lane-departure” or “road-departure” accidents. They are often caused by drivers speeding, making dangerous passes or losing control around curves on rural roads.
• Rear-end crashes – These collisions typically occur when a driver stops short and/or when one driver is tailgating another.
• Sideswipe accidents – These accidents generally happen when two cars are traveling side-by-side and one vehicle drifts into the adjacent lane.
• Side impact collisions – These crashes are often called “T-bone” accidents. They often occur at intersections when one car runs a stop sign or red light. Because of the limited protection drivers have on the sides of cars, these accidents can result in serious or fatal injuries.

Another way to group car accidents is by where they occur, such as:

• Intersection accidents – These crashes typically occur because drivers disregard stop signs or other traffic controls or make poor decisions when turning. Often, pedestrians and bicyclists are injured in these wrecks.
• Rural road accidents – These accidents are common in Northeastern North Carolina. They often are caused by speeding or dangerous passes on two-lane roads. An issue that often arises with these crashes is the lack of witnesses.

In many cases, the at-fault party in a car accident is not the driver but a company or government entity. Sometimes, the party responsible can’t be identified. These accidents include:

• Vehicle defects – Cars that are defectively designed or manufactured may be prone to rollovers, sudden acceleration or gas tank explosions. Accidents involving tire blowouts or wheel roll-offs also are common.
• Defective roads – A government entity or contractor may be liable if a crash is due to a poorly designed or maintained roadway. This is especially a concern in the rural areas of Northeastern North Carolina.
• Hit-and-run crashes – All too often, motorists collide with other cars but fail to stop to see if the victims need medical attention or, at the very least, to exchange insurance information. As long as you can prove that another car was involved, you should be able to file an uninsured motorist (UM) claim with your insurer if you have purchased a UM/UIM policy.

If you were injured because of another driver’s fault, Glover Law Firm can review your case for free and help you to understand your options for seeking compensation.

Don’t wait to take action. Call or contact us online today.

For More Information:

• North Carolina 2011 Traffic Crash Facts, N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles