Car Accident Rear End Collision Injuries

Rear End Collision: Overview





The rear impact collision accounts for six deaths per one million registered cars. However, these types of collisions are the most common type of auto accident, with approximately 2.5 million rear impact collisions occurring each year.

The rear bumper system is an important safety feature; however, automakers have developed and installed increasingly less reliable rear bumpers. While a quality rear bumper is capable of compressing upon impact and absorbing the force of a low speed collision, lower quality bumpers tend to be less absorbent, sending the brunt of the impact to the occupants. Furthermore, rear bumpers are designed to handle only a five-mile per hour rear collision when many rear impact collisions occur at much greater speeds. Many of today's bumpers are designed more to protect the car rather than the occupants.

Many insurance companies believe that if a vehicle sustains little or no visible damage, then the vehicle's occupants must have emerged unscathed. This is not necessarily the case. Each day we learn more about the potentially serious physical consequences of low speed, rear impact collisions. While the car may be designed to handle the low speed impact, the human body is not. Whiplash is the most common type of injury sustained in low speed, rear impact collisions.










Whiplash, also called accleration
deceleration trauma, is caused by a sudden and violent movement of the neck. Such movement can cause damage to vertebrae and cervical tissue found in the neck. Whiplash is typically categorized as a soft tissue injury as the muscles and ligaments of the neck are strained and swell, often resulting in pain and stiffness in the neck, headache, nausea, numbness and loss of balance. It can take up to 24 to 36 hours after an accident for these symptoms to manifest themselves.

The most common cause of whiplash is the rear end automobile collision. When your vehicle is struck from behind, your neck will go through a snapping motion resulting in the whiplash injury. Studies have shown that women are more susceptible to whiplash then men, as the female neck is generally longer and less muscular than the male neck. Women usually have more severe and longer lasting symptoms.

Unfortunately, diagnostic tools such as the x-ray cannot effectively detect soft tissue injuries; as a result whiplash often goes undiagnosed. Friends, family, your insurance company, and perhaps even your doctor may doubt the severity of your symptoms. It is important to promptly see a doctor who specializes in soft tissue trauma and to visit an attorney who can ensure that your legal rights are protected