Common Car Accident Scenarios — Causes & Determining Fault

Common Car Accident Scenarios — Causes & Determining Fault

Car accidents can happen in many ways. In Texas, how a car accident happens will often determine which driver bears liability for the accident.

Proving liability is important. Anyone injured due to another driver’s negligence can seek compensation from the at-fault driver and their auto liability insurer.

Read on to learn how fault is determined in some of the most common car accident scenarios.

How Stephens Law Can Help After a Car Accident in Texas

How Stephens Law Can Help After a Car Accident in Texas

Stephens Law has helped accident victims and their families for over two decades. Over that time, the firm has recovered over $100 million in injury compensation for our clients. 

The firm has also earned many honors and recognitions, including a 10.0 Superb rating on Avvo and an AV-Preeminent rating on Martindale-Hubbell. Both these ratings are the highest offered.

When you hire our Fort Worth car accident lawyers to assist you after a collision, we’ll:

  • Conduct our own investigation into the cause of your accident, including gathering evidence and speaking to witnesses 
  • File insurance claims and handle negotiations and communications on your behalf
  • Protect you against victim-blaming strategies used by insurance adjusters to undervalue claims 
  • Consult accident reconstruction experts and medical professionals as we build your case 
  • Argue your case in court if the opposing parties refuse to negotiate fairly 

Schedule a free consultation with Stephens Law to discuss your car accident and the compensation you can seek for your injuries.

How Common Are Car Accidents in Texas?

Texas publishes car accident statistics annually. In the 2021 annual report, Texas had 425,074 car accidents. For perspective, the population of Texas was just over 29.5 million in 2021. This means Texas had about 1,440 traffic accidents for every 100,000 residents.

Texas averaged about 1,165 car accidents per day. According to the 2021 report, these car accidents caused a total of 4,489 deaths. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT), at least one Texan died in a traffic accident every day of 2021.

These accidents also caused 188,707 injuries. These numbers included nearly 12,000 people who suffered such serious injuries that individuals needed an ambulance for transportation to a hospital.

Fort Worth had 14,679 car accidents, according to the 2021 report. These Fort Worth accidents caused 130 deaths and 7,434 injuries.

Overview of Common Car Accident Scenarios — Causes and Determining Fault

Some types of accidents happen so frequently that you can easily determine the cause and who bears fault. Some accidents even produce predictable injuries.

These common car accident scenarios include:

Single-Vehicle Accidents

Single-vehicle accidents happen when a vehicle runs off the road or hits a fixed object. Single-vehicle collisions can be serious. If the vehicle rolls over, the occupants can suffer serious head, neck, and back injuries. These accidents can cause catastrophic injuries like permanent brain damage and paralysis.

Liability for single-vehicle accidents usually falls on the driver. 

These accidents often happen due to driver errors like:

Occasionally, drivers in single-vehicle collisions can identify a cause outside of driver error. For example, if a vehicle malfunctioned, the auto manufacturer or repair shop might bear liability for the crash.

Head-On Collisions

Head-on crashes happen when the front of one vehicle collides with the front end of another vehicle. These collisions often cause serious injuries because the energy of each vehicle turns into property destruction and injuries for occupants.

Head-on collisions often cause neck injuries like whiplash. They can also cause head injuries and back injuries as your body whips back and forth. You can also suffer injuries to your legs and feet when the front of your car is crushed and your engine is pushed into the passenger compartment.

Head-on collisions generally mean that someone was driving on the wrong side of the road. If this is the case, the wrong-way driver bears fault for the accident. But occasionally, the wrong-way driver has a reason for driving on the wrong side of the road, like a medical emergency, which can make liability more complex.

Rear-End Collisions

Rear-end collisions happen when one car hits the back of another car. These collisions can also cause neck, back, and head injuries. But rear-end collisions usually involve much less energy than head-on collisions, so they are not as likely to cause deaths.

The fault for rear-end collisions usually falls on the driver of the rear vehicle. 

The driver of the rear vehicle may cause a rear-end crash due to:

Occasionally, the driver of the front vehicle causes a rear-end collision. For example, if the front car cuts off the rear car and does not give the rear driver the time or space to stop, the driver of the front car might bear liability for the crash.

Side-Impact Collisions

Side-impact collisions happen when one car hits the side of another car. These crashes are also called T-bone crashes because the cars form a T-shape.

These crashes can cause serious injuries, especially if one car hits the driver’s side of the other vehicle. Broken bones, neck injuries, and back injuries can result from a side impact.

These crashes usually result from a failure to yield the right of way or a driver who runs a traffic control light or sign. The driver who improperly entered the intersection will generally bear the liability for the crash.

Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Fort Worth Car Accident Attorneys

Even though these accident scenarios happen often, insurance companies still try to deny claims and fight liability. Call us at (817) 420-7000 or contact Stephens Law online today to discuss your car accident and how a personal injury lawyer can help you recover compensation.

Other Car Accident Cases We Cover

Additional Resources

Stephens Law Personal Injury | Car Accidents
1300 S University Dr # 300
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 420-7000