What Is the Most Dangerous and Costly Accident?

Any type of auto accident causes disruption. Even a minor fender-bender means taking the time to exchange information with all the parties involved and then dealing with the repairs.

In more severe accidents, like a Baltimore tractor-trailer wreck, your vehicle can easily be totaled, causing you to suffer devasting injuries, and even resulting in a loved one’s wrongful death.

These collisions also give way to insurance claims and potential lawsuits. When dealing with those situations, it helps to know the most dangerous and costly accident. Being aware of this can help you and your attorney request full and fair compensation for your loss.

The following is a breakdown of some of the most dangerous types of accidents, many of which often involve trucks:

Single-Vehicle Accidents

Single-vehicle crashes account for 58% of all traffic fatalities nationwide. According to data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2020, there were 20,753 fatal single-car accidents. These types of wrecks involve one car where the driver loses control. This typically occurs if the driver is speeding or swerves to avoid debris and if an animal, cyclist, or pedestrian is on the road. However, these trucks can be caused by a tractor-trailer navigating outside of their lane, causing a motorist to swerve or occur for some other reason.

Pedestrian-Involved Incidents

Even though just 1.1% of pedestrians are involved in accidents, they account for 16.7% of car-related deaths, according to the same NHTSA data cited above. A pedestrian struck by a car can experience broken bones, brain trauma, and spinal cord injuries. Someone walking who is struck by a tractor-trailer, since it weighs more than 10 times the amount of a passenger car is likely to suffer even more catastrophic injuries or to lose their life.

Head-On Collisions

A head-on collision is considered one of the most dangerous car accidents because it involves two vehicles slamming into each other with the full force of their weight and speed.

Texting or running red lights are common causes of these types of collisions, which account for around 14% of traffic fatalities, also according to the above NHTSA data. Distracted driving and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI) are some of the major causes of head-on collisions.

Again, as you might imagine, head-on collisions between cars and large trucks are often fatal.

T-Bone Accidents

A T-bone accident involves one car slamming into the side of another vehicle and forming a T. The NHTSA finds that this type of collision accounts for around 13% of all car accidents in the country.

It is important to note that a T-bone accident isn’t always the fault of the driver, such as a trucker, who crashes into the car. It could be that a motorist speeds through a red light, causing a vehicle, such as an 18-wheeler, with the right of way to slam into them.

Truck-involved collisions like these often end up with smaller passenger cars being dragged some distance, causing occupants to suffer even more serious injuries than would have occurred had they struck at a slower speed or stopped after impact occurred.

Vehicle Rollovers

A rollover crash happens when one vehicle loses traction and topples over, oftentimes coming to rest on its roof. That can happen if the road conditions in Baltimore are poor or if a driver takes a turn too fast.

A semi-rig truck changing lanes that collides with another car in its blind spot could also trigger a rollover. According to the NHTSA, there were 2,694 fatal rollover accidents in 2020.

Sideswipe Collisions

The Insurance Information Institute finds that sideswipe collisions account for 3% of national fatalities. These are accidents that happen when one car drifts into the lane of another.

Any one of these accidents can be applied to incidents involving cars, municipal vehicles like buses or garbage trucks, and 18-wheeler rigs.

Accident Costs

Although the types of accidents can be classified, the costs are different for each incident. Calculating property damage begins with the car’s assessed value at the time of the accident. There could also be costs for repairs to surrounding property, such as light poles, dividers, etc. With regard to injuries, they can be divided into the following three tiers:

Tier 1: These would be catastrophic injuries involving brain trauma or spinal cord damage. The settlements in these types of personal injury lawsuits tend to be higher because of the demand for ongoing care and significant loss of income.

Tier 2: A Tier 2 injury would include broken bones that would require surgery and physical therapy for a complete recovery. The settlements are based on the specific medical costs. The pain and suffering damages would be limited with his tier because of the anticipated recovery.

Tier 3: These injuries are of the less severe variety, such as sprains, bruises, and cuts. The settlements would cover medical costs and temporary discomfort.

Calculating the Damages

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources provides a good overview of how the costs of automobile crashes are calculated. It finds that data from the National Safety Council puts the estimated cost of a car accident fatality at $1,024,000. The average cost of an injury is $36,000, and for property damage, it is $6,400.

The calculation process begins with applying the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), which is an “economic tool used to measure the health of a nation’s economy.” In other words, a settlement needs to take into account cost of living factors. The accumulated damages can be either economic or noneconomic. When combined, the settlement will take into account the following factors:

• All medical bills
• Physical therapy
• Medication
• Lost wages
• Lack of consortium
• Ongoing pain and discomfort
• Diminished activities
• Future earning capabilities
• Mental health

Finding the Right Number

When you retain the services of an experienced legal team to help with your truck accident claim in Maryland, you will get the support to come up with the right number for a settlement. The attorneys at Belsky & Horowitz, LLC have decades of combined experience in calculating the costs for fair compensation for their clients. Call for a free consultation to discuss your accident incident.