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With approximately 2.5 million rear-end accidents occurring annually, even the most cautious drivers may find themselves with a stack of medical bills, vehicle damage, and lost income. Although your road to physical recovery may take several weeks, months, or even years, your legal recovery should not be up in the air. At Stine & Associates, P.C., our Greensburg car accident lawyer is dedicated to advocating for injured persons. In giving you the financial support you need, you will find that your journey of recovery is less burdensome.
Causes of Rear-End Collisions
Common causes of rear-end accidents in Greensburg, Pennsylvania include:
Speeding
In 2023, speeding took the lives of 11,775 people. Whether due to juggling a busy schedule or having no patience on the road, speeding puts everyone’s safety at risk. Unfortunately, speeding increases the distance that it takes for a vehicle to come to a complete stop, resulting in more rear-end accidents.
Road Rage or Aggressive Driving
Tailgating, braking checks, lane cutting, making obscene gestures, or yelling profanities are all examples of road rage. Also known as aggressive driving, an enraged driver gives other drivers little time to react. For example, a driver who is brake-checking is more likely to cause a rear-end crash.
Distracted Driving
In 2023, over 3,200 traffic accident deaths were attributed to distracted driving. Distracted driving occurs anytime you take your attention away from the road ahead. Distractions are divided into three categories: manual, cognitive, and visual. Common examples include talking on a cell phone, changing the radio station, or eating and drinking. A distracted driver is less likely to see a stopped vehicle in front of them, only braking when it is too late.
Impaired Driving
Impaired driving occurs whenever an individual is not in complete use of their faculties but decides to operate a motor vehicle. Pennsylvania prohibits operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08% or greater or while under the influence of any intoxicating substance. Perhaps as dangerous as drunk driving, driving while fatigued has become an increasing problem in recent years. Fatigued driving impairs alertness, delays reaction times, and interferes with a person’s ability to identify hazards. The similarities between drunk driving and drowsy driving cannot be denied, with a motorist operating on 20 hours of no sleep being akin to a BAC of 0.08%.
Poor Weather Conditions and/or Visibility
Snow-covered roads and icy conditions can cause a vehicle to lose traction, resulting in a driver rear-ending a lead vehicle. Fog can play a factor as well, with low visibility preventing a driver from accurately judging the distance between their vehicle and a lead vehicle. Pennsylvania law requires that drivers use their headlights anytime a person cannot see at least 1,000 feet in front of his or her vehicle or when windshield wipers must be in use.
Potential Damages
In civil lawsuits, the court may award compensation to make the injured party “whole” again. In a car accident case, damages may be either financial (economic) or non-financial (non-economic).
Financial damages are losses that take money directly out of your bank account. In a car accident case, these may include:
- Lost wages
- Ambulatory services
- Emergency room care
- Hospitalizations
- Surgeries or treatments
- Prescription costs
- Physical, occupational, or other rehabilitative therapies
- Home modifications
Damages that affect a person’s quality of life but result in no monetary loss are known as non-economic damages. Common non-economic damages in a rear-end accident include:
- Pain and suffering
- Infliction of emotional distress
- Damage to reputation
- Loss of companionship and society
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Permanent disability
- Disfigurement and/or scarring
Liability Can Be Unclear in a Rear-End Crash
Recovery in a rear-end accident is not always as clear-cut as you may assume. Whereas it is presumed in most rear-end crashes that the rear driver is liable, this is not always the case. The at-fault party must have violated the duty of care owed to you, causing you harm. In a rear-end crash, liability gets more confusing when multiple parties are involved or if another factor caused the accident.
For example, if a rear driver strikes your vehicle because your brake lights were out, he or she would not have known you were slowing down. In this case, you may share some responsibility for the crash, meaning that your damages will be reduced based on your degree of fault.
An Attorney Experienced with Insurance Negotiations
If you want to ensure that you are being compensated adequately, never wait to speak with our Greensburg car accident attorney. While you may share partial fault for the accident, the insurance company may be inclined to assign you greater fault than is warranted. The insurance company believes that this justifies substantially reducing your payout. This is a strategy to delay processing your claim, in the hopes of breaking you down until you take whatever settlement they offer. When you work with Stine & Associates, P.C., we will not let a claims adjuster take advantage of your vulnerabilities.
Contact Our Greensburg Car Accident Lawyer Today
A car accident can result in serious injuries, preventing you from doing the things you love. When you sustain harm due to another person’s negligence, he or she should pay for their wrongdoing. At Stine & Associates, P.C., we are prepared to negotiate with insurance until you receive a just settlement. To arrange your free consultation with our Greensburg car accident attorney, our office can be reached online or by phone at (724) 837-0160 today.