Insurance companies promote the misconception that a “low impact” collision between vehicles cannot injure vehicle occupants. They argue that because there is little to no structural damage to the vehicles, the impact/force of the collision was insufficient to injure vehicle occupants. This notion is simply false. Insurance companies use a range of vehicular damage to classify what constitutes a low impact collision. Damage resulting in repairs costing $25 to $5,000 in vehicle is typically considered a low impact collision by many of the major insurance companies. They believe this designation helps their argument against person injury claims. Simply put, they argue, how can someone in the car be injured if the car only has a little dent in it? Studies have shown, however that “the amount of damage sustained by the car bears little relationship to the force applied.” [1] Further studies have shown that vehicles do not absorb the force from the other vehicles colliding with it, but rather are transferring the energy/force into the occupants, causing 1) the serious injuries and 2) the vehicle to show little-to-no damage. [2] Serious injuries endured as a result of low impact collisions include soft-tissue neck and back distortion. Do not dismiss your injury because your vehicle did not sustain large amounts of property damage. Call our car accident attorneys now. [1] Ian MsCnab, Chapter 10, “Acceleration Extension Injuries of the Cervical Spine,” The Spine, 2d Ed., Rothman & Simeone, eds., W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia (1982) [2] The Chiropractic Impact Report, June 2010, September 29, 2008 by admin, “Low Impact Motor Vehicle Collisions And Whiplash Injury” At William Mattar, we offer a free case evaluation if you or someone you know was injured in a car accident. For your free case evaluation, contact one of our car accident lawyers.
Serious Injuries linked to “Low Impact” Motor Vehicle Collisions