REAR END ACCIDENT LAWYERS IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration defines a rear end collisions as “a collision in which one vehicle collides with the rear of another vehicle.” Simple enough, but how does an experienced rear end car accident law firm analyze a rear end collision?

Fault

First, we analyze the fault in a rear end collision. It is a violation of New York State traffic laws to drive too closely behind a motor vehicle. A traffic infraction for “following too closely” may be issued by a police officer in the event of a rear end collision, because “the driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speech of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway.” We all learned this in driving school. If you’re driving behind another vehicle, you need to give yourself enough room to come to a complete stop. At Parisi and Bellavia, we’ll review the police report to examine how the police officer described the accident and whether a “following too closely” citation was issued in connection with the accident.

Following too closely, however, is only one potential cause. We’ve seen rear end collisions caused by distracted drivers who are looking down at their phone or over at their GPS. We’ve seen rear end collisions influenced by poor Rochester weather conditions resulting in one car slamming into the back of another. We’ve seen drivers fall asleep at the wheel. In short, with 25 years of experience we’ve seen it all, Rochester.