Determining the worst kind of accident depends entirely on what you consider to be the most terrible result.
If you are concerned with the loss of human life, then whatever type of crash results in the most fatalities would be considered the worst type of car accident.
That said, if you are more concerned about finances then the worst types of car accident would be one that produces the most damage to each vehicle involved and thus causes the greatest amount of financial losses for the perpetrator.
In this way, determining the worst type of auto accident becomes an entirely subjective choice which means only you can provide the answer for yourself based on where your priorities lay and what things you consider to be most important and/or least important when it comes to the results of a car accident. No matter where your opinion lands, however, the first thing you need to know to determine what the worst kind of car accidents are is the different types of car accidents that are possible.
What Types of Car Accidents are there ?
There are four different kinds of car accident categories most of which are based on where contact is made with the vehicle in question.
- If the vehicle is struck from the front, that would be considered a “Head-on” collision.
- If it is struck from behind then that is a “Rear-end” collision.
- A vehicle that is struck on either side is a “Side-impact” collision which is also sometimes called a “T-bone.”
- Finally, the last category is “Rollovers” which involve contact with every part of the vehicle as it rolls across the ground or flips end over end.
Head-on Collisions
Car accidents that are categorized as “head-on” usually result in more fatalities than any other category and therefore could be considered the worst type of car accident if you are concerned with the loss of human life. This is because head-on collisions usually occur between vehicles that are moving at high speeds in opposite directions which means they strike each other with more force than most other accidents.
The force combined with the crumpling of the vehicle can cause massive damage to the people inside, even more so if they are not strapped into their seats, as well as causing catastrophic damage to the vehicle itself. Most vehicles do not survive this type of collision.
Side-impact Accidents
If the driver side is struck then the driver is extremely likely to receive extreme injuries if they do not lose their life upon impact.
That said, this type of collision produces the second-least amount of fatalities per year and while vehicles are often horribly damaged by this type of accident, they still don’t generally suffer as much damage as they would in most other kinds of car accidents.
With this in mind, while side-impact auto accidents are definitely horrific, they aren’t a strong contender for the “worst” type of car accident due to the lower risk of fatality and lesser damage to the vehicles involved.
Rollover Accidents
Fewer people die per year in rollover crashes than head-on collisions but that does not necessarily make them any less horrible. In fact, an argument could be made that they are worse because you are more likely to survive them with extreme, life-long injuries that you will never recover from.
To some, this is a far worse fate than a fatal car crash, not to mention it will come with a large amount of financial burden due to the cost of repairing or replacing the vehicle involved in the accident and the medical bills for the injury. That makes rollover accidents a strong contender for the worst type of car accident.
On top of that, there is also another point to consider. Rollover’s are usually caused by the driver or the environment and not by collision with another vehicle, which means the fault and financial burden will often be on the victim with no way to mitigate the fallout. They will be responsible to pay both their medical bills and the repair costs for any property damage and possibly the vehicle in question.
This combination of devastating consequences in several different areas makes rollovers possibly the worst type of accident because there is no possible win available. You either survive and hope you aren’t injured irreparably and take on the financial burden of repairing yourself, your vehicle, and anyone else that was injured or you are fatally injured in the crash.
Rear-end Collisions
Collisions from behind your vehicle are one of the most common types of accidents. They happen very frequently and usually at low enough speeds that the vehicles involved don’t receive irreparable damage nor do the people involved. That said, they are still dangerous and even slow collisions can cause injuries so they are certainly no laughing matter. They are just the least likely to cause fatalities and generally have the least severe consequences involved.
Because the people involved are unlikely to lose their lives or receive permanent damage, it is unlikely that rear-end collisions would be considered the worst type of car accident, though they certainly could be for some people as not every rear-end collision is an insignificant little “fender bender.”
If the perpetrator is moving at a significant speed then this rear end collisions can still cause significant damage to the victim’s vehicle and the victims themselves, but those don’t happen nearly as frequently as other types of collisions and unless people are sitting in the back seat of the victim’s car, the people most likely to suffer a fatality are those in the perpetrator’s car, not the victim’s. This makes a rear-end collision a weak contender for the worst type of car accident.
The Verdict
Some types of car crashes are definitely worse than others, and which one you think is worse might be different than someone else’s opinion on the matter, but many will agree that the worst kind of accident is one you have to pay for. Putting empathy and morality aside for a moment, nobody wants to pay thousands of dollars out of their own pocket to repair a vehicle or pay a doctor especially if they aren’t at fault for the situation.
If you are the victim of a car crash, or even in some circumstances if you are the perpetrator, then you can mitigate some of that burden by getting in touch with a good lawyer. If you are the victim then it should definitely be the responsibility of the perpetrator to pay for your medical expenses and replace the vehicle that they damaged. Why should you pay out of your pocket for damage that somebody else caused to your property?
If you are the perpetrator, it is definitely possible that the accident was caused by something in the environment or something else that was entirely out of your control, in which case it certainly wasn’t your fault and that means you shouldn’t be the one paying the consequences of the event any more than the victim should be.
No matter which category you fall under, you should consider acquiring legal help and getting the situation resolved in a way that is to your advantage instead of against you. While the first priority on your mind should be taking care of yourself and ensuring that you are safe and healthy, eventually someone is going to have to pay the doctor that is taking care of your injuries and replace the car that got totaled in the accident.
If you didn’t cause the accident then it definitely shouldn’t be you that has to pay the bill to take care of everything, but some types of people won’t consider the morals of the situation and instead will be looking to find any way they can benefit from the situation regardless of who they have to hurt to do so. Having a legal aid at your back can help you to prevent them from taking advantage of you.
Who should you consult after a Car Accident?
If you are in Pennsylvania, particularly Philadelphia, then you should consider reaching out to us for legal consultation.
We operate under the “We Win or It’s Free” ® Guarantee , so if you end up not winning the case you won’t owe us anything at all, but if you do win then you won’t be responsible for dealing with the financial burden of the car accident you were involved in and can focus your time and efforts on healing from the injuries you suffered or moving on with your life.