Car Accident Types in Central Florida

Driving in Central Florida can be hazardous, and it may come as no surprise to discover that Florida is often designated as the most dangerous state in the United States for driving accidents. The best way to avoid accidents is by staying vigilant to changing road and traffic conditions, driving defensively, and paying attention to the actions and activities of all drivers around you. Unfortunately, that does not guarantee that you will be able to make it from point A to point B without an accident.

Take a look below at some of the different types of car accidents that we frequently represent clients for. If you have been involved in an accident yourself and believe that you are entitled to damages through a personal injury lawsuit or settlement, contact us now for a free initial consultation where you will be able to learn about your rights, explore the various options available to you, and understand how we have helped clients in similar situations as your own in the past. 

TYPES OF CAR ACCIDENTS

TEXTING WHILE DRIVING

While texting and driving is not a type of accident, it is certainly a leading cause of all sorts of crashes. If you are involved in an accident with a driver who was texting, using apps, or otherwise handling their phone in a way that you believe caused (or at least contributed to) the accident, then this is something that you must be certain to pursue in order to get the compensation you deserve.

Someone else making a decision to act irresponsibly on the road by allowing themselves to be distracted should not mean that you must take on the financial burden of the damage that they caused, and we will fight to make sure that this is not the case.

DRUNK DRIVING

Like texting while driving, drunk driving is again not a type of accident, but is instead a leading cause of all types of accidents. If you are involved in an accident with someone that you suspect to be drunk, call the police immediately to ensure that they are handled properly, arrested, charged, and that you will have certain proof in any upcoming settlement negotiations or personal injury lawsuits that they acted negligently and recklessly, ultimately putting you and your passengers at risk and causing your injuries. 

T-BONE COLLISION

A t-bone collision happens when one vehicle drives straight into the side of another vehicle from a perpendicular angle. These types of crashes can cause serious injury to everyone involved, but the people on the side of the vehicle that the oncoming car hits are at the greatest risk of serious injury simply due to their location. 

Most modern vehicles have side airbags and various other safety mechanisms designed to keep people safe in these crashes, but the reality is that this is the least-protected area of the vehicle, and serious injuries are very common as a result.

REAR-END COLLISION

A rear-end collision is very common on Florida roads, especially in heavy traffic or at red lights. Generally, the rear driver is distracted or otherwise unable to come to a complete stop before they collide with the stopped (or slower-moving) vehicle in front of them. This could happen because they didn’t realize they were approaching a stop sign or intersection, coming up on unexpected traffic, or possibly even because the lead vehicle had to quickly brake in order to avoid an animal, pedestrian, or object in the road.

Read-end collisions often cause whiplash because it causes the passengers’ heads to jerk forward and down in a way that stretches, compresses, and tears neck muscles, discs, tendons, and ligaments. Whiplash may in rare cases require surgery, but likely requires medical attention. Often, victims must wear a neck brace in order to stabilize their heads and necks as the muscles and tendons repair themselves. 

SIDESWIPE CRASH

A sideswipe crash takes place when two vehicles are traveling in the same direction and hit each other side to side. This takes place most often on roads with two lanes of travel on the same side, and one vehicle changes lanes without noticing that there is a car there. While the sideswipe collision itself may not generally cause too much damage, it could crush someone’s arm if it is hanging out of the vehicle, and may also send the car out of control and into a secondary crash.

ROLLOVER ACCIDENT

A rollover accident takes place when a vehicle is moving forward and hits their brakes, turns sideways, and the vehicle’s center of gravity is high enough that it causes the car to tumble. These accidents are extremely damaging to everyone in the car, simply because of the unpredictable motion of the car and how violently all passengers are shaken and thrown around. Rollover accidents have a notably higher fatality rate than other types of accidents.

HYDROPLANE ACCIDENT

Hydroplaning in a vehicle happens when a vehicle hits a wet road and instead of the tires cutting through the liquid and gripping on the pavement below, it causes the vehicle to lose control. If a vehicle is traveling to fast on a road during rainy or wet conditions and needs to turn rapidly or brake to avoid an accident, they may find themselves skidding out of control into other vehicles, which can then cause a variety of different types of collisions and injuries.

HEAD-ON COLLISION

A head-on collision has absolutely devastating effects on everyone involved, and the risk of a fatality is significant especially if both vehicles are traveling at high speeds. These types of collisions happen when one vehicle either drifts into oncoming traffic or in some situations are forced into oncoming traffic by an initial collision or while avoiding a hazard. Since both vehicles are presumably traveling the speed limit, but in the opposite direction, the force of the impact is essentially doubled. 

If you consider how it would likely feel to hit a wall while driving at 30 miles an hour, and now imagine that the wall is moving at you at 30 miles an hour at the same time, this simple image clearly indicates the increased severity that everyone is facing. 

Aggressive Driving 

Being involved in an accident with an aggressive driver can be a very scary experience, because of the trauma of the actual crash, but also because of the fear of how the other driver will react. If you are in an accident with an aggressive driver and you are concerned about your safety because of their behavior or aggression, call 911 and remain in your vehicle if it is possible. Let the 911 agent know that the other driver is being aggressive and that you are scared for your safety so that they can inform the police of the situation when they send them to your location.

Make sure that you tell the police that the other driver was taking aggressive actions on the road leading up to the accident, whether or not you find yourself worried about your safety with them following the crash. Aggressive driving intimidates the others on the road and can lead to an accident in many ways.

Distracted Driving

When people hear about distracted driving, it is not surprising that most immediately think of texting while driving. While this is one form of distracted driving, there are many other things that can constitute this type of negligence. At its essence, distracted driving, only requires that a person who is driving a car either physically takes their eyes off of the road, or they let their awareness drift and take their attention off of their task. 

Some common examples of distracted driving include things like changing the radio station or air controls in the car, fiddling with a GPS, talking on the phone, eating in traffic, or digging around in the back of the vehicle to find something.

Driving While Texting 

Before smartphones became ubiquitous, and before the average American had more than 80 apps on their phone, texting and driving was the primary concern with phone usage in a car. These days, each app on a users phone sends constant notifications in an attempt to capture our attention, and many drivers fall prey to their phones even while they are driving. While the term “texting while driving” is still used as a catchall for using a smartphone, someone could be checking email, posting to Instagram, managing their cryptocurrency portfolio, or any other number of things while they should be focusing on being a safe driver.

Highway Car Accidents 

Traveling on the highway can be stressful for even the most seasoned of drivers, especially when they are in an area that they are unfamiliar with, or are trying to get across multiple lanes of traffic while traveling at 70+ miles per hour to get to their exit. In addition to the high speed and multiple lanes of traffic moving in the same direction, people need to deal with their blind spots, upcoming hazards, changes in speed and traffic congestion, and more. As a result, there are many ways that someone is at risk of a car accident every time they merge onto the highway. In addition to the risks, the injuries possible on the highway may be even more serious because of the high speeds. 

Hit And Run Accidents 

Any accident is scary, but being injured in a crash only to watch the other person speed away can leave people feeling deeply afraid and untrusting. This additional stress can have a major impact on their recovery, emotionally and physically, in addition to causing very real concerns about who to recover damages from. We will work with you after your hit and run accident to identify all possible solutions and pursue them aggressively in order to get you the compensation that you deserve after this frightening experience.

Intersection Accidents

Intersections can be confusing to travel through, especially when the driver is unfamiliar with the traffic rules of the area, or the layout of the intersecting roads. In some cases, the lights may be out at the intersection or the signs that direct oncoming traffic may be obscured by tree branches or other obstructions. While there are many legitimate reasons that someone may be confused by an intersection, there are even more ways that someone can cause a crash due to negligence or irresponsible actions such as distracted driving or speeding.

Lane-change Accidents

Changing lanes is something that all drivers do many times throughout a trip, but that does not make it any safer. Nearly all cars have blind spots that keep the driver from having a full view of all of the vehicles and obstacles around them, which put smaller vehicles and motorcycles at high risk of being hit while the driver changes lanes. While these types of accidents are especially risky for motorcycles, anyone involved in a lane-change accident can be subject to serious injuries as a result of being forced off of the road, into oncoming traffic, or spun out of control.

Reckless Driving

Reckless driving covers a wide range of behaviors that a driver can engage in, but most importantly it means that they acted in a way that disregarded the safety of all others around them. This can be from speeding, drunk driving, drag racing, or any other number of activities that are deemed reckless and dangerous. The specifics of your own situation depend on a variety of factors, but if the driver who caused the crash was acting recklessly, we will pursue them for the damages that they owe you. 

CONTACT US TODAY FOR ADVICE AFTER A FLORIDA CAR ACCIDENT

No matter what type of car accident you have been involved in, contact us now to learn about how we can help you navigate the complicated world of insurance claims and personal injury lawsuits and get the money that you deserve. Our experience handling situations similar to yours will come in handy as we begin to determine the comparable faults of each driver, the damages you deserve, and the best ways to get you the money you are entitled to.