Types of Car Accidents
For over 40 years, the law firm of Edward P. Busch, P.A., has represented victims of car accidents in Miami and Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas in South Florida. This experience allows our firm to handle a wide variety of crash types, including:
- Head-on collisions – Due to the added force and impact of two vehicles striking each other directly, these accidents can be extremely dangerous. Head-on crashes are common on undivided two-lane roads due to unsafe passing. They may also occur when drivers are impaired or drowsy and cross a double yellow line or when drivers mistakenly enter a highway off-ramp.
- Rear-end accidents – These accidents commonly occur in high-traffic areas or at intersections. The driver who strikes the vehicle in front commonly is the one at fault due to speeding or inattention. Whiplash is a common rear-end crash injury.
- Sideswipe collisions – These crashes frequently occur in high-congestion areas such as those commonly found in the Miami and South Florida metro area. They are often caused by drivers making unsafe turns or lane changes. (This is why they are also referred to as “lane-departure crashes.”) Distracted or impaired drivers tend to cause sideswipe wrecks.
- T-bone accidents – T-bone or side-impact collisions can be severe. In fact, our firm recently assisted a driver who required two back surgeries after a side-impact crash. The problem with this type of crash is the lack of a “crumple zone” on the sides of a car.
- Rollovers – About 730 fatal crashes occur in Florida each year that involve sport utility vehicles (SUVs), passenger vans and light trucks – vehicles that may be more prone to rollovers due to their designs.
- Single-car accidents – These accidents typically involve one vehicle colliding with an animal or a fixed object. For instance, our firm represented a client who was injured when she struck a cow that had been allowed to exit through an open gate and wander onto the road. Factors such as a defective road or car design can also play a role in causing these crashes to happen.
- Speeding accidents – More than 3,600 injury-producing crashes occur each year in Florida due to motorists exceeding the posted speed limit or driving too fast for conditions such as rain, fog or ice.
- Distracted driving accidents – At any given daylight moment in the U.S. 660,000 people are driving while distracted by an electronic device, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports. Studies have found that the risk of an accident is 23 times greater when someone is texting while driving.
- Drunk driving accidents – More than 17,000 suspected alcohol-related crashes occur on Florida roads each year. A driver with a .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is considered to be legally too impaired to drive. However, the National Transportation Safety Board reports that a driver’s ability to safely operate a vehicle is dangerously limited with as low as a .05 BAC. Due to the rising use of marijuana and prescription drugs, drugged driving accidents are also increasingly becoming a problem.
- Drowsy driving accidents – In a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, 4.2 percent of motorists admitted that they had dozed off behind the wheel at least once in the previous 30 days. Because they can nod off and cross into opposing traffic, drowsy drivers are much more likely than other motorists to be in head-on collisions.
- Crashes caused by faulty design or equipment – In 2013, there were 22 million vehicles recalled due to a defect, according to the NHTSA. Some automotive defects can increase the risk of accidents such as brakes failing, tires blowing or air bags deploying at random. Other defects can increase the risk of a serious injury if a collision occurs, such as a gas tank exploding when a car is struck in the rear.
- Accidents caused by road conditions – Faulty or dangerous road conditions are becoming a bigger problem than ever due to crumbling infrastructure and the lack of state and federal funds to maintain roads and bridges.
- Car-motorcycle accidents – Drivers often hit motorcyclists because they either fail to pay attention to the motorcycle or refuse to share the road safely with it. For example, the car driver may turn in front of the motorcycle or try to “share” the lane.
- Car-pedestrian / bicyclist accidents – As studies show, the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale metro region is the most dangerous in the country for pedestrians and bicyclists. Like motorcycle crashes, driver inattention or recklessness tend to contribute to these accidents. For instance, our firm assisted a bicyclist who was injured when a car turned in front of her.
Contact a Miami Car Accident Lawyer For Help With Your Car Accident Case
As we have found at Edward P. Busch, P.A., South Florida car accident lawyer, many car accidents result from poor judgment and decisions made by motorists. If you believe you have a car accident case, and you can establish that another driver caused your auto crash to occur, you may be in a position to recover compensation for your losses. You may be eligible for compensation for your medical expenses, lost income and pain and suffering. It may also be possible to pursue a claim against a car manufacturer or government agency.
Miami car accident lawyer, Attorney Edward P. Busch can provide the personalized, careful attention your car accident case deserves. It all starts with a free consultation about your case.
