Different Types of Car Accidents

Car accidents leading to serious injuries happen every day in Buffalo. They disrupt the lives of innocent people who require hospitalization and have to miss work. Some accident victims have to adapt to living with a disability.

The Buffalo car accident lawyers of Cantor, Wolff, Nicastro & Hall LLC help individuals and the families of those injured in car accidents caused by others’ negligence and recklessness. We investigate how a car crash happened and calculate our client’s medical expenses and other accident-related losses. We seek to recover the compensation our clients need to rebuild their lives.

Our car accident attorneys have more than 100 years of combined experience. We’ll fight for you. Call the Hurt Hotline today at (716) 559-9984 or contact us online for a free review of your case.

Car Accidents Most Commonly Seen in Buffalo, NY

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says in New York in 2018, there were 296 passenger cars involved in accidents resulting in 467 deaths.

Half of all people who died in traffic fatalities in New York in 2018 were occupants of passenger cars, SUVs, light pickups and vans. The others were motorcyclists, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers of large commercial trucks.

The types of car accidents that our Buffalo car accident lawyers typically handle are collisions in which our client was injured and another motorist was at fault. These auto accidents include:

Side-Impact Collisions. These are also known as “right-angle” or “T-bone collisions.” The front of one car hits the side of another to form an approximately 90-degree angle. Side-impact crashes are extremely dangerous because the side panels of most cars provide limited protection for occupants from the force of the crash. We often see T-bone accidents in intersections where one driver has run a stop sign or light and hit a car crossing in front of them.
Sideswipe Collisions. In a sideswipe, the sides of two vehicles meet, often bouncing off of each other after a slight impact. In addition to the initial side-impact in a sideswipe collision, the danger is that a driver may lose control of the vehicle or be pushed into a more serious crash. After a sideswipe, we usually find that a driver has attempted a lane change without looking adequately to make sure the lane is clear or has drifted out of the lane because of inattention or impairment.
Rear-End Collisions. A rear-end collision is the most common types of car crash. Rear-end crashes frequently cause the neck injury known as “whiplash.” Typically, the trailing driver in a rear-end collision has failed to brake in time to avoid the collision because he or she was following too closely, driving too fast or not paying attention. Typically, the driver in the trailing car is at fault in a rear-end collision. However, rear-end accidents can also happen when a motorist stops abruptly in an active traffic lane, pulls into the path of a faster vehicle, backs into the front of a car, or has faulty rear brake lights.
Head-On Collisions. Head-on collisions are among the most dangerous car accidents because of the magnified force of impact created by two vehicles converging. Head-on collisions are caused by one vehicle drifting across the centerline of a highway, attempting to pass on the wrong side of the road or making a wrong-way turn into oncoming traffic. Head-on collisions may involve a driver who has nodded off or is intoxicated.
Multi-Vehicle Accidents. Multi-vehicle accidents include collisions between two cars, as well as accidents involving several vehicles. In a multi-vehicle accident of three or more vehicles, rear-end collisions are common, as vehicles slam into cars ahead that have stopped. Pileups often occur in inclement weather that obscures visibility, such as fog or heavy snow or rain, which prevents oncoming cars from seeing the vehicles stopped ahead. In many cases, drivers in pileups did not recognize trouble ahead because they were going too fast for conditions and/or were inattentive.
Rollover Accidents. Accidents in which a car rolls or tips over onto its side or roof have a higher fatality rate than other car accidents. The higher center of gravity makes taller vehicles such as SUVs, pickups and vans more likely to roll over than other passenger cars. If a rollover occurs as a result of a collision impact, it is likely that the other driver was speeding. In other accidents, some object causes the vehicle to turn over onto its side or roof, such a curb, embankment, guardrail, uneven roadway or soft shoulder of the road. A rollover accident also can be caused by taking a sharp turn at high speed.

Common Factors that Contribute to Car Accidents

Most car accidents are caused by driver error. All drivers have a duty of safety to others on the road. When a driver recklessly ignores the speed limit or disregards traffic conditions and causes harm to someone else, the at-fault driver can be held accountable for the injured person’s medical bills and other losses.

Among the most common causes of car accidents in New York are:

Speeding. Speeding and driving too fast for conditions are the leading causes of car accidents. Excessive speed reduces the time a driver has to react to unexpected situations and increases the distances a vehicle needs to stop. Increased speed also compounds the force of impact in a collision and the seriousness of injuries.
Distracted driving. The advent of cell phones and in-car entertainment systems as well as the many other distractions has created an epidemic of distracted driving. Distracted drivers pose a serious hazard. In the few seconds a motorist driving at 55 mph looks at their phone to read a text message, their car cover the length of a football field. It’s alarming to consider driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.
Drunk or intoxicated driving. Drunk and drug-impaired drivers still are responsible for many preventable crashes in Buffalo, despite increased awareness of the dangers of impaired driving. Drunk driving remains a serious problem. Those who consume legal or illegal substances and drive afterward put everyone’s lives at risk and should be held accountable when they get behind the wheel intoxicated and cause preventable accidents.
Fatigued or drowsy driving. Drivers who are fatigued by activity and/or lack of proper sleep have slower reaction time and diminished judgment. They are slower to recognize a hazardous situation that can cause a crash. Some drivers fall asleep or nod off momentarily while behind the wheel. Shift workers, young parents and young drivers, who may have part-time jobs on top of school and active social lives, are most likely to be driving while drowsy or fatigued.
Weather conditions. Buffalo drivers have more experience than most at driving in winter conditions. Most Buffalo drivers recognize the hazards that inclement weather can create on the roads. Drivers must slow down when snow and ice, heavy rain, fog and other inclement weather makes roads slippery and reduces visibility. Motorists who disregard the weather and drive too fast for conditions put lives at risk.
Mechanical problems. If a car or its tires, brakes or other parts fail, the driver may lose control of the vehicle and crash. When mechanical problems are caused by a manufacturing defect or inadequate maintenance, the manufacturer or the vehicle owner or others responsible for maintenance may be held accountable for damages.
Unsafe roads. Flaws in the design of a roadway or problems with road maintenance can cause issues that contribute to car accidents, such as standing water due to poor drainage or obstructed views caused by overgrown trees or poorly placed signage. In such cases, the entity responsible for design or maintenance of the roadway, including a local government, may be legally liable for injuries. Claims against governmental agencies are often complex due to shorter statutes of limitations and other legal protections, but they can be successful with the assistance of experienced car accident lawyers.

Contact Our Buffalo Car Accident Lawyers

If you have been injured in a car accident in the Buffalo, NY, area, call The Hurt Hotline today. The experienced Buffalo car accident lawyers at Cantor, Wolff, Nicastro & Hall LLC are committed to helping people injured in car accidents caused by others seek full compensation. Our firm offers you the benefit of more than 100 years of combined experience and a strong reputation for winning at trial.

For your free case review, reach out online or phone (716) 559-9984. Our car accident attorneys are honored to serve the citizens of Buffalo. We are here to help. Contact us today.