If you get in an accident caused by another driver, there’s a chance you could suffer catastrophic, life-changing injuries. But not every accident carries the exact same risk. Some accidents are distinctly more dangerous than others.
One key component is the size of the vehicles involved. Larger and heavier vehicles tend to protect their own occupants, but they pose more of a threat to people in other vehicles. In other words, getting hit by a 2,000-pound convertible is much less likely to cause severe injuries than getting hit by an 8,000-pound pickup truck.
Why does weight make such a difference?
The key thing to remember is that a car accident is essentially a transfer of energy between two objects. The amount of energy in that equation is determined by the mass of the vehicles and the speed at which they’re traveling.
So if two vehicles are traveling at the same speed, then the only differentiator is mass. In a head-on collision at 60 miles an hour, the larger vehicle is going to transfer more energy into the smaller vehicle—and into the occupants inside. This means they are more likely to suffer serious injuries like internal injuries, amputation injuries, crush injuries, spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries.
That doesn’t mean that smaller vehicles necessarily can’t also cause you such injuries—it’s just that the chances of suffering a serious injury are much higher when you encounter an oversized vehicle, like a modern pickup truck or an SUV.
Seeking compensation
Catastrophic injuries like this can change the course of your life. You need to know how to seek compensation for medical bills, lost wages, a reduction in earning capacity and much more.