News Release

INDIANA — Ohio Personal Injury Lawyer John Fitch reveals the most common type of fatal car accidents across Indiana– and how certain collisions can impact your claim.

Research conducted by experts at John Fitch analyzes the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  to reveal the most frequent type of fatal car accident collisions.

A spokesperson for Fitch says, “Interestingly the most common type of fatal car accident collision across the US does not involve a collision with a motor vehicle in transport. More fatal crashes involve other victims or objects such as pedestrians, cyclists, parked vehicles, animals, road objects etc. Pedestrians are one of the most vulnerable group of road users, accounting for a significant share of deaths from fatal road crashes.”

The top three most common types of fatal car accidents in Indiana are as follows:

“The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport”, resulting in 474 fatal car accidents
“Angle”, resulting in 179 fatal car accidents
“Front-to-Front”, resulting in 102 fatal car accidents
According to reports, an average of 23% of the world’s annual 1.35 million road casualties is pedestrians.

The data shows that the most common type of road accident does not involve other moving vehicles, resulting in a total of 23,647 fatal incidents.

This is followed by ‘angled’ collisions, resulting in a total of 7,183 fatal accidents.

An angled collision is when one vehicle strikes another vehicle at an angle somewhere between 90 degrees (a side-impact collision) and 180 degrees (a rear-end collision).

The third most common type of collision is ‘front-to-front’, resulting in a total 4,295 fatal incidents.

Most recent data reveals Texas is the state with the most fatal car accidents across the US, with an average of 4,100 incidents per year.

A spokesperson for Fitch adds, “The way in which a car collision occurs can impact an insurance claim, and it is normally down to the severity of the parties involved. Collisions not involving vehicles in transport, for example pedestrians, are often caused by the driver being distracted. The most common causes of driver distraction are things such as using a cell phone or sat nav, tiredness, eating, parents carrying children etc. Distracted Drivers commonly lose control of their vehicle, and accidents caused by distracted driving can end lives, destroy families, and cause financial ruin. Head-on collisions, also known as front-to-front, often happen when a driver travels the wrong way down a one-way street or an exit ramp. Or sometimes when they cross the median on a highway. These are some of the most devastating and potentially fatal types of accidents and can cost a party at fault a significant sum of money. Side-impact accidents often happen when one vehicle fails to yield to another vehicle at an intersection. Due to the fact the side of a vehicle has less structural protection, people located in that side of the car can suffer serious injuries. Rear-end collisions are more common, however can be less damaging. This is because they tend to occur at lower speeds. The rear driver is often at fault for not leaving an adequate stopping distance – but this is not always the case.”

Below, the Ohio Personal Injury Lawyers at John Fitch share why you should seek a legal professional after being involved in car accident and four top tips for choosing the right car accident lawyer.

A lawyer can review your damages to see how much your case is worth. Examples of recoverable damages include:

Medical bills
Lost income
Pain and suffering
Emotional Distress
Loss of consortium
Loss of life enjoyment
Identifying these damages and calculating their value is the first step to knowing how much your case is worth. Attorneys have tools to determine this value, so they can fight for what you deserve.

Choosing the right car accident lawyer is essential for the claims process. You want to find someone who will fight for you and treat your case like it’s important to them.

Unfortunately, without doing proper research, you could end up with someone who doesn’t give your case an appropriate amount of time and attention.

• Get a Consultation: Speaking with your prospective law office through a consultation can provide a lot of insight into their practice. It is important to produce questions to ensure they can meet your needs throughout your case.

Benefits of a consultation include:

You can get answers to your questions
You can learn about how an attorney from the firm can help you
You can get more information about options for your specific circumstances
You can determine if the law firm is the right fit
Many law firms offer free consultations to potential clients.

• Ensuring the firm has a history of success in personal injury law: attorneys who have handled similar cases know how to negotiate with insurance companies.

Personal injury lawyers can do the following:

Investigate the car accident
Handle communications with opposing counsel and the insurance company on your behalf
Determine how much your case is worth by identifying the damages you could recover
Negotiate with the other party to reach a fair settlement agreement
Litigate on your behalf if they cannot reach a settlement
Attorneys who practice other types of law typically will not have as much experience with personal injury laws. Another benefit is that a personal injury attorney can ensure you don’t miss any timelines for your case, as they have experience interpreting and meeting the statute of limitations.

• Find someone with evidence of positive client communication: getting injured in a car accident is often a traumatic experience. Therefore, you want a legal team on your side who can ease your stress by communicating often and keeping you informed about what is going on with your case. You do not want to feel left in the dark throughout a stressful ordeal in your life. To ensure you find a legal team with responsive communication, look for attorneys who are available 24/7.
• Get recommendations from friends and family
  When someone you know and trust recommends an attorney, you have a better chance of ensuring your case is safe. People usually only make recommendations if they have had a positive experience.