Dictionary.com lists the primary definition of an accident as “an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty; mishap.” When most individuals talk about motor vehicle wrecks, they refer to them as “car accidents.” Yet law enforcement officers generally use the terminology “car crash” or “collision” and many people use the term “car wreck.” Do you call it a car accident, car wreck, car crash or collision? Are they all the same? Absolutely not!
Traffic statistics from 2011 show the five most common causes of fatal wrecks to be driving too fast for conditions or in excess of the posted speed (20.8%); driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medications (13.8%); failure to stay in the appropriate lane (9.2%); failure to yield the right of way (7.2%); and distracted driving (7.1%)1. If we look at these causes, all of them result from an unsafe or negligent action on behalf of the driver. Are they, then, truly accidents? If another party caused the wreck and you were injured, do you feel like it was an accident?
An “accident,” theoretically, is something that is unavoidable. If I am not paying attention and trip and fall in my home, it is an accident. If a tree falls on my car when I’m parked in the driveway, it is an accident. If another person is texting while driving and runs into my car, then the words crash or wreck are probably more accurate descriptions of what happened.
Regardless of what you call it, if you have been injured in a car accident (or wreck or crash or collision!) that was caused by another driver, you are likely more concerned with who is going to pay your medical bills, lost wages, and property damage than which word we use. If you have been injured by another driver in Columbia, or elsewhere in South Carolina, North Carolina or Georgia, please contact us to learn your rights. Do not wait. The longer you wait after the crash, the more likely it is that evidence and witnesses will no longer be available. Contact the car accident, car wreck, car crash, and/or car collision attorneys at Solomon Law Group now.
