Joliet Rear-End Collisions Lawyer

Trusted Rear-End Collisions Lawyer Advocating for Clients in Joliet, IL

Rear-end collisions account for approximately 1.7 million automobile accidents annually across the U.S. These accidents will kill as many as 1,700 people and leave another 500,000 seriously injured. Rear-end accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. One moment, a driver may be sitting in rush-hour freeway traffic, and the next, another vehicle may slam into the back of the stopped car. Even if the driver in front sees the car coming, there is no opportunity to avoid the accident.

While rear-end accidents are rarely as deadly as head-on collisions, they can result in life-changing injuries that can affect drivers or passengers and their families. Being rear-ended can be terrifying, because the driver in front seldom sees the accident coming. Since rear-end accidents often happen at busy intersections or on congested roadways, it is common for other vehicles to be involved in the accident. A rear-ended vehicle can be pushed into an intersection and then hit by cross-traffic, or it may be pushed into another lane, causing a series of accidents.

In other rear-end accidents, the front car can be pushed into the car in front of them, causing injuries and damages to multiple vehicles and drivers. When many drivers are involved in a rear-end collision, multiple liable parties and insurance companies can make filing a claim extremely complex. Those who are involved in Illinois rear-end collisions can benefit from the experience and knowledge of a car accident attorney from McNamara Phelan McSteen, LLC.

What Causes Rear-End Collisions?

Rear-end accidents are overwhelmingly caused by driver distraction, often in conjunction with tailgating behavior. Drivers who drive too close to the vehicle in front of them may fail to account for the time it takes to stop when the car in front stops or slows. A distracted driver who is talking on their cell phone, texting, turning around to see what children or pets are doing in the backseat, or fiddling with GPS or car controls may not have the necessary time to bring their car to a stop when the unexpected happens.

In other situations, both vehicles may be stopped at a stoplight or stop sign. A distraction may cause the driver in the rear to be unaware their car is rolling forward until it collides with the stopped car in front. While this type of rear-end collision is not as likely to result in serious injuries to the driver in front, it can still cause neck and back injuries, including whiplash.

What Is the Most Common Injury from a Rear-End Collision?

A car traveling at 40 mph that hits the vehicle in front of it applies the same level of force to the front driver as if the driver in front hit a solid brick wall at 20 mph. While the generally slower speeds of rear-end collisions can result in less severe injuries, any kind of jolt can cause severe or even catastrophic injuries.

Whiplash is the most common injury for those involved in a rear-end collision, particularly for the driver in front. The motion caused by the significant force of being hit by another car can send a person's head abruptly forward and then snap it backward. Whiplash can be mild, moderate, or severe. In moderate and severe whiplash cases, symptoms can include:

• Neck pain and stiffness
• Chronic headaches that often start at the base of the skull
• Loss of range of motion in the neck
• Chronic pain in the shoulders, upper back, or arms
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Chronic fatigue

While symptoms of whiplash will often resolve within weeks or months, in more serious cases, whiplash symptoms can linger for years—or forever.

Contact a Joliet Rear-End Collision Attorney

The experienced lawyers at McNamara Phelan McSteen, LLC are ready to aggressively fight for you following a rear-end collision. We will prove liability, calculate your damages, and then work zealously to obtain a settlement that will fully cover those damages. At a time when you are injured and perhaps unable to work and make a living, you do not need the stress of convincing an insurance company to pay you what your claim is worth. When your injuries are the result of another person's negligence, contact a skilled car accident attorney at McNamara Phelan McSteen, LLC by calling 815-727-0100 for a free consultation and answers to your questions.