Rear-End Collision Accidents

Rear-end collisions are among the most common car crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 28 percent of crashes are rear-end collisions. Having won defense verdicts in many such cases during a decade of insurance defense practice, we take nothing for granted. Knowing how things can go wrong, the legal team at Johnson & Ward has successfully litigated many injury and death cases involving rear-end collision accidents.

In almost all rear-end collisions, a police officer cites the driver of the rear vehicle for “following too closely under Georgia Code Section 40-6-49, which in part says, “The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway.” The statute goes on at length to require “leaving sufficient space” between vehicles to avoid danger.

There are many factors your Georgia attorney may evaluate as contributing factors in rear-end collisions. Some of the most common include:

Driver Distraction

Distractions from texting, cell phone usage, eating, putting on makeup, looking into the back seat to check on young children or pets, and looking away from the road are frequent causes of driver distraction. Recently we litigated a case in which a truck driver was on his cell phone talking with someone in South America for 25 minutes before running over a line of stopped traffic, never noticing the cars and trucks before he hit them.

Driver Fatigue

In our truck crash cases, driver impairment due to fatigue is often the main cause of a catastrophic rear-end collision.

Weather Conditions

Drivers who fail to adjust their speed for the effects of rain, snow, slush, ice, high winds, and fog are more likely to strike another vehicle. There is a special rule for large commercial trucks, requiring “extreme caution” in hazardous weather conditions affecting visibility or traction. . 49 C.F.R. § 392.14[3]. The standard that is taught to truck drivers in the Commercial Driver’s License Manual, Section 2.6.2[4], is that they should reduce speed by one-third on a wet road, by half on packed snow, and crawl or pull off to stop when the road is icy.

Alcohol and Drugs

Alcohol and drugs significantly impair a driver’s reflexes, even if not drunk. A classmate of my daughter was killed when an intoxicated tractor-trailer driver rear-ended her family’s car on an interstate highway in Alabama. We have litigated a case in which a truck driver fell asleep after having taken Ambien and ran over a line of stopped traffic without braking.

Construction Areas

We have handled numerous cases where rear-end collisions happened in construction zones on Georgia’s interstate highways. A tired, distracted, or inattentive driver often fails to slow down or stop traffic in construction zones.

Road Defects

Potholes, stop signs bent or obscured by foliage, and non-working traffic signals can all contribute to a rear-end collision.

Children, Animals, and Pedestrians

Balls bouncing into the street, animals and children darting into the street, and jaywalking pedestrians can all force a driver to stop unexpectedly, leading to a rear-end collision.

Police and Radar Guns

Drivers who are speeding may suddenly stop or slow down when they see police cars on the side of the road or pick up police radar on radar detectors.

Accidents

It is common for inattentive drivers to collide with vehicles that have stopped or slowed due to another accident ahead.

Faulty Brake Lights

When a leading vehicle slows or stops without adequately functioning brake lights, a following driver may fail to stop, resulting in a collision.

Vehicle Breakdowns

Vehicles that break down in the lane of traffic or close to the traffic lanes are major distractions. Large commercial trucks that stop on the side of the road are required to immediately activate hazard flashers and promptly put out reflective triangles or flares.

Injuries

Injuries caused by rear-end collisions can range from transient whiplash injuries to serious neck and back injuries, herniated discs, vertebral fractures, traumatic brain injuries, and wrongful death.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a rear-end collision, submit our inquiry form or call us now at 404-253-7862.

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Johnson & Ward has been a leading personal injury and wrongful death specialty law firm in Atlanta since 1949. The firm’s founders were also among the founders of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. Current partners include former presidents of the State Bar of Georgia and the Atlanta Bar Association.

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