No matter what type of car crash you are involved in, there is always a chance that you may end up with serious injuries. A car crash is far more than just a bad day. When another driver has caused the accident, you may recover financial compensation after filing a claim or lawsuit against them. An experienced car accident lawyer can guide you through the legal process, working hard on your behalf to secure a settlement check or jury award for you. There is an entire process that you must follow when you have suffered damage due to an accident.

Here are some causes of the different types of car accidents:

• Speeding
• Drunk driving
• Distracted driving
• Fatigued driving
• Confusion
• Reckless driving
• Inexperience

No matter the cause, the legal principle is the same. When you have evidence that shows what happened or a finding of responsibility, you can receive payment for your damages. The other driver will have a legal obligation to pay for the total damages they caused, and their insurance company will need to pay up to the policy limit. Then, you can file an underinsured driver claim against your insurance before holding the driver personally responsible.

Rear-end Collisions

Rear-end accidents are the most common type of car crash. Just because a rear-end crash happens most often does not make it any less dangerous. Rear-end crashes can injure both the rear driver.

For the front car driver, a typical injury is whiplash. When they are stopped or traveling slowly, the crash unleashes great force. Even if your body remains still, your head will snap forward, similar to a whip when someone cracks it.

Whiplash can cause severe symptoms. Even a mild case of whiplash can cause lasting neck and back injuries. More severe cases can cause a traumatic brain injury. The brain can crash into the skull when the head snaps forward, causing a serious concussion or worse. Some people are never the same after they suffer even a moderate brain injury, including being unable to work or enjoy life. An injured driver should get immediate medical care after a rear-end accident. Even if you do not think that you were injured, you should get checked out by a doctor to confirm that.

The rear car driver will most often be at fault in the crash. The legal presumption is that they are to blame for the accident. It is not impossible to disprove that presumption, but you will have an uphill battle. Another battle may be the one that you have with the insurance company when they try to downplay your rear-end accident injuries. You should always hire an experienced lawyer when you want financial compensation. Even if you do not have to prove liability, you still need to fight to get enough money.

T-bones

T-bone crashes often occur at intersections or stop signs when one car has not yielded the right of way when it should have. These types of crashes are dangerous for both drivers involved. The vehicle that has made contact suffers the injuries that go along with a head-on collision. T-bone crashes happen at higher speeds, so the injuries at higher speeds.

The driver who got hit may also suffer serious injuries. They may be hit on the driver’s side of their car, making their injuries even worse. Passengers are at risk when another car strikes the side of their vehicle.

The legal issue with t-bone crashes is that the other driver may deny that they were at fault, and these crashes can be hard to prove. Your case can be complex if each driver has their side of the story. Then, you can end up in a “truth contest” with the other driver, where any tie can keep you from getting financial compensation.

The car that hits the other is not always the one that is at fault for the accident. The other vehicle can be in the wrong position because they were the ones who ran the stop sign or traffic light, and they will be the ones at fault if you can prove what they did.

Head-on Crashes

Head-on crashes are rare and extremely dangerous because both drivers will sustain the full force of the impact. These accidents have among the highest fatality rates. Two cars should not barrel toward each other head-on.

Usually, one car is not where it should be due to:

• Fatigued driving
• Drunk driving
• Distracted driving
• Improper passing

For some reason, one driver does not see or understand where their lane is. Besides the causes listed above, the driver may be just plain confused. They may end up in the wrong lane, in the path of ongoing traffic. There is little that the other driver can do to avoid a severe accident because they are not expecting a car to be coming at them at full speed. Of course, the driver who did not have the legal right to be in the lane will be the one who is at fault for the accident.

Multi-car Accidents

From a legal perspective, multi-car accidents are among the most challenging. Usually, the car that causes the first crash bears all legal liability for what happens afterward.

However, these accidents bring with them several complex legal issues, including:

• Figuring out what was the initial cause of a chain reaction accident.
• Jockeying with other injured drivers to file a claim against the responsible driver’s insurance policy. (Insurers usually base car accident coverage limits on a per-accident basis.)
• Filing a claim against your car insurance policy if the at-fault party lacks enough coverage to pay for all of your injuries.

There is no question that you need an attorney in a multi-car crash. Your lawyer will need to investigate what happened to learn the cause of the accident and against whom to file a lawsuit.

Chain reaction crashes often happen in poor weather or highway traffic. One car may lose control, triggering a response behind them, as other drivers cannot stop or avoid the accident.

Blindspot Accidents

Changing lanes or making a turn can be challenging for any driver. Before they turn, they need to signal and check into their blind spot. It is called a blindspot for a reason. Even under the best of circumstances, it is difficult for a driver to see into that spot, and they are at risk of hitting another driver or forcing them off the road.

Blind spot accidents can also occur when a driver is merging into traffic. The merging car can try to enter the lane in a driver’s blind spot when they do not have the right of way.

The most common type of blindspot accident is a sideswipe accident. The car changing lanes into the blind spot will end up in the other vehicle’s lane, and they may make contact. The car that another car hit may lose control and spin out, either off the road entirely or into another traffic lane. Blind spot accidents can become head-on crashes, depending on what happens to the car that another car hit.

The car that has already established itself in its lane is the one that has the right-of-way. You can hold the driver of the car that changes lanes or turns liable unless some narrow exceptions apply (such as the driver in their blind spot speeding excessively). With a lawyer’s help, you can make the driver who broke traffic laws pay for your injuries.

Vehicle Rollovers

There are some crashes where the driver has not necessarily done anything wrong. The car itself can be the problem. Namely, there may have been a defect in the car or part that caused the accident. Some SUV drivers have reported rollover crashes because of a defect in the car’s design.

A rollover crash happens when the vehicle rolls over onto its side or roof. They can occur either because of another vehicle or in a one-car accident. An increase in lateral force can cause the vehicle to roll over onto its side. Rollover crashes have a much higher fatality rate because they can eject the driver from the vehicle or slam the driver’s head against the steering wheel or the car’s roof.

There have been massive lawsuits against car companies that have resulted in multi-million dollar settlements and jury verdicts. However, you will need to prove the defect, and the car companies often pull out every stop to defend these lawsuits. A defective tire may also cause a rollover accident. You can sue both the manufacturer responsible for the part and the one who made the car.

Another driver may have also caused the rollover crash by cutting you off or doing something that caused you to lose control of your car. It may be hard to locate that other driver to sue them, but it can help you when you try to file a claim against your uninsured motorist coverage.

Proving What Happened in a Car Crash

Regardless of the type of car crash, you will need evidence to show what happened to cause it. To be in a position to get money to pay for your damages, you need to prove that someone else did something wrong. Then, their insurance company will be responsible for paying up to the coverage limit, and your insurance company can pay anything more if you have underinsured motorist coverage.

A car accident attorney can help gather evidence to prove what happened. It is not a given that you will get a settlement, even when you know that someone else was at fault. If it comes down to your word against that of the other driver, you may be unable to get financial compensation unless you have something more to go along with your case. Your lawyer will figure out who was responsible for the crash and file a claim against their insurance or a lawsuit in court.

In any car accident case, you will need an experienced attorney to protect your legal rights and help you seek financial compensation. An attorney can help maximize the value of your case by standing up to the insurance company when they try to underpay you.

If you are trying to handle your case to save money, there may not be any money in the first place if you do not have a lawyer. In many of the accidents we described above, there are two sides to every story, and the one that is not yours may prevail unless you have someone to effectively tell your story.

In addition, an attorney may more than add value to your case by helping you get more money than you can have gotten on your own. You are entitled to the same damages no matter who represents you.

The question is whether you have the experience and toughness working for you to get those damages. Never underestimate the ability of the other driver or insurance company to do everything they can to get out of paying at all or the amount of money you deserve. They have a full staff of adjusters and lawyers whose goal is to pay the least they can on as few claims as possible.

This is how insurance companies ensure they remain profitable. The bottom line is that their interests do not align with your interests.

When you file a car accident claim or lawsuit, time is not on your side, but an experienced lawyer will be. You have limited time to act before you either lose the right to sue or the evidence you need to prove your case. Under state law, a statute of limitations limits your ability to sue too far into the future.

Contact a Car Accident Attorney

If you have suffered an injury in an accident that was not your fault, call an attorney to help you file your accident claim. Contact an experienced car accident attorney who can protect your rights and interests as you pursue justice.