Durham Rear End Collision
A rear end collision occurs when the negligent driver causes a collision by running into the rear end of the vehicle in front of them, which is often caused by the negligent driver following too closely behind the car in front of them. If you have been rear ended in the Durham area, our Durham car accident lawyers are experienced and prepared to take your case.
Common Causes of Rear End Collisions in Durham
Some common ways that rear end collisions can occur include when an individual is distracted while driving, such as when they are texting while driving. Drivers following too closely behind the car in front of them, and speeding, are also very typical causes of rear end types of collisions.
Common scenarios in which rear end collisions can occur are on Interstate-40, or the Durham Freeway, where individuals are traveling at a high rate of speed, and in many cases are not paying attention, so they can end up causing collisions by following too closely and not being able to brake in time.
Determination of Fault in Rear End Collisions
In general, fault is usually assigned by the car that runs into the back of the vehicle in front of it. Unless there are extenuating circumstances that can be found to have caused the vehicle to collide with the rear end of the car in front of it, the driver in back who was operating the vehicle that crashed into the car in front of it will often be at fault for the cause of the accident.
Contributory Negligence in a Rear End Collision
In a rear end collision case, it is less likely to find contributory negligence regarding any injuries sustained by passengers of the impacted car, unless the cause of the accident was the front car driving too slowly, not having their brake lights on, or something along the lines of failing to provide a reasonable amount of information that would be necessary for the car in back to be able to operate safely. Otherwise, contributory negligence is not often seen in rear end collision cases.
Durham Car Accident Lawyer
After being involved in a rear end collision in Durham, you should always contact an attorney. At the very least, they often offer free advice! There is no harm or obligation in getting an attorney, and depending on your accident case you have the discretion to decide whether you need to hire them. It is important to get someone involved, if you choose to hire an accident lawyer, to get witness statements while they are still fresh, and statements from the police officers while they are still able to recall the accident. A Durham car accident lawyer will implement field investigations, collect documentation of the accident scene, speak to witnesses, and talk to law enforcement to paint a full picture of what happened.
An attorney can help establish liability by employing the use of an accident reconstructionist. An accident reconstructionist is usually an engineer that can help measure stopping distances and compute time, speeding, and distance calculations that help to establish that the car may have factually been following too closely and thus was absolutely at fault for the collision.
