Rear End Accidents

Additionally, rear end collisions were 40.8% of all U.S. crashes with other vehicles. That is a whopping total of 3,680,000 crashes in 2022 alone. ⁽²⁾

A closer look at New York collision rates reveals the problem for New Yorkers.

New York Collision Rates

New York City (NYC) records indicate 252 people died on city roadways due to motor vehicle collisions in 2024. ⁽³⁾

City traffic accidents killed 259 New Yorkers in 2023, according to Transportation Alternatives. The nonprofit also reports, “Over the past decade, 2,412 New Yorkers have been killed in traffic violence.” ⁽⁴⁾

Additionally, the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee 2023 report notes crash data for people suffering serious injuries averaged 11,145.6 across the state in 2021. There were also an averaged 1,021.2 traffic fatalities. ⁽⁵⁾

Causes of Rear End Accidents

Just as with many accidents, a lot of rear end collisions are preventable. Understanding what causes rear end accidents is one step in the right direction.

As is true for many motor vehicle accidents, driver behavior is a significant factor in rear end accidents. Common causes of injury-causing and fatal crash accidents in NYC during November 2024 overall, for example, include:

• Distraction: There were 1,991 vehicles involved in crashes resulting in injury and fatalities where distraction was a contributing factor according to the NYC Police Department. ⁽⁶⁾ Distractions generally include talking, eating, use of cell phones, and texting while driving. ⁽⁷⁾
• Driver fatigue: There were 40 vehicles involved in fatal crashes due to drivers who experienced fatigue, drowsiness, or fell asleep at the wheel. ⁽⁸⁾
• Speeding: For 260 vehicles, unsafe speed was a contributing factor in crashes. This includes driving too fast for conditions, going over posted speed limits, or racing during the crash. ^{(9) (10)}
• Tailgating: Tailgating is following too closely. Almost 460 vehicles were involved in fatal crashes due to following too closely. ⁽¹¹⁾
• Weather: Adverse weather conditions are a contributing factor in many crashes. On average, weather was a factor in 21% of vehicle crashes between 2007 and 2019. ⁽¹²⁾

Potential Injuries

Injuries in rear end accidents can be very serious. They can range from broken bones to traumatic brain injuries to spinal injuries, and even death.

Here are a few of the serious injuries rear end accident victims can suffer:

• Death — The New York City Police Department’s citywide collision report for one month notes 22 fatal collisions. ⁽¹³⁾
• Spinal Injury — Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of these, accounting for 37.5% of spinal injuries since 2015. ⁽¹⁴⁾
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) — Motor vehicle crashes are one of the most common causes of TBIs, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ⁽¹⁵⁾ The Mayo Clinic agrees that collisions are a common cause. ⁽¹⁶⁾
• Whiplash and neck injuries — Rear end collisions result in 85% of neck injuries sustained during car accidents. ⁽¹⁷⁾ “Whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip.” ⁽¹⁸⁾
• Lacerations — Lacerations are skin wounds caused by blunt trauma where none of the skin is missing. Treatment can include stitches. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Lacerations can be made more serious by infection. One study found, “Lacerations located on the head or neck were less likely to become infected compared with lacerations on the torso or an extremity… Contamination or tissue trauma requiring debridement was also associated with an increased risk of infection.” ⁽²⁰⁾
• Broken bones, fractures — “Back and spine fractures. These are fairly common in both head-on and rear-end collisions as the body is impacted by the seatbelt or airbag.” ⁽²¹⁾ Other common fractures sustained in car accidents include rib, sternum, and clavicle fractures; cranial and facial fractures; broken legs, and hand and wrist fractures. These fractures are due to the “way the force of a car accident impacts the body.” ⁽²²⁾

Liability

No matter the injuries, determining liability depends upon the accident circumstances. Usually, the driver of a car who hits another car is to blame for a rear-end accident.

Typically, the car behind hits the car in front because the driver did something wrong — got distracted, was following too closely, or was speeding. It may even be some combination of these.

But there is more to it than that, legally.

Often, these cases fall under negligence. Negligence is a legal concept applied to a person who fails to behave with the “same level of care” as someone with sound judgement would have, given similar circumstances. ⁽²³⁾

Negligence Causes Accidents

For example, let’s say you are stopped at a red light. A car behind you fails to stop and slams into you. An investigation reveals the teenaged driver was texting at the time of the accident.

If you were hurt in such an accident, you may be entitled to damages due to negligence. You must show the court the teenaged driver’s texting while driving created a situation where an accident was a foreseeable outcome. And your injuries were a direct result of the accident. ⁽²⁴⁾

A successful negligence case usually requires the services of an experienced attorney, like the legal team at Weitz & Luxenberg.

How W&L Can Help

W&L has years of success with auto accidents and other personal injury cases. Our attorneys have helped thousands of clients recover large sums. Look at these cases:

• A hit-and-run car accident left our client paralyzed from the chest down. The verdict was $20.5 million plus another $3 million for past and future medical expenses.
• Our client, a 75-year-old pedestrian, was struck by an ambulance on the streets of Manhattan. The settlement was $1.4 million.
• A 41-year-old laborer lost part of his leg after being struck by a hi-lo. It was negligently driven by a co-worker in a work area with inadequate barriers. The verdict was $2.96 million for our client.