If you were to ask your lawyer about rear-end statistics, the facts he or she would give would be far from pretty. You would learn that approximately 30% of all accidents are rear-end collisions. This makes them the most common type of car accident.
The cause of most of these accidents is distracted driving. This should not be too surprising since many drivers commonly text, talk on, and browse content on their mobile devices when they should be focusing only on driving.
How to determine liability in a rear-end accident
Personal injury lawyers know that the person who rear-ends another vehicle is usually the at-fault party. There are some instances where the person who was rear-ended can be at fault:
● Suddenly slamming on the brakes for no reason
● Suddenly reversing
● Not fixing a continuing mechanical problem
● Not repairing faulty vehicle equipment.
While it’s generally easy to figure out who was at fault, the same is not the case in terms of calculating damages in these types of accidents. Personal injury lawyer in Kitchener knows this all too well. Lawyers know that failure to notify responsible parties about your personal injury accident and claim on time generally means that you can’t collect a settlement from them or sue them in court for a settlement.
Being compensated after a rear-end accident
Everyone tends to agree on who was at fault and what the compensation amount should be in most rear-end accidents. This is why the defendant’s insurance company will reimburse the plaintiff quickly. What complicates matters in rear-end cases is when the plaintiff tries to seek compensation for any injuries sustained. Many rear-end collisions result in whiplash injuries.
Whiplash related injuries
Whiplash injuries are the most common type of injuries that drivers can sustain in rear-end collisions. The reason why is because these tend to be soft tissue injuries. Most of the time the only way medical professionals know about whiplash injuries and their severity is because the plaintiff complains about them. Plaintiffs can embellish upon their whiplash injuries. This is the reason why insurance companies are very skeptical and are very reluctant to pay out for these types of injuries.
You can see that determining payout is not always straightforward in rear-end collisions, especially if you sustain whiplash injuries. This is why you need to hire a good personal injury lawyer,as soon as possible.
Should I hire a personal injury lawyer?
Yes, you should definitely hire a personal injury lawyer to help defend you in your personal injury claim or lawsuit. Doing so can and does make the difference between losing and getting more than the settlement that you wanted.