There were more than 295,000 motor vehicle crashes in Illinois in 2021. With 71,563 crashes, rear-end accidents were the most common type.
What types of injuries do rear-end crashes commonly cause?
Whiplash
Whiplash is one of the most common injuries that rear-end accidents cause. Whiplash is a soft-tissue injury that occurs when a person’s head moves forward suddenly. Because the occupants of a vehicle that gets hit from behind are usually stationary when the accident occurs, rear-end accidents often cause the occupants’ heads to suddenly lurch forward and then backward, creating the potential for whiplash injuries.
Back strains
The same rapid movements that cause whiplash can also cause back injuries. Back strains often occur when these rapid movements cause a pulled, twisted or torn muscle or tendon in the back.
Back sprains
Back sprains resemble back strains but involve ligaments instead of tendons or muscles. People with back sprains have stretched or torn ligaments.
Herniated or slipped disc
Discs are the rubbery cushions between the bones in your spine. The force from a rear-end collision can cause compression of the bones in your spine that may cause the core of one or more discs to tear through the exterior of the disc. Some disc herniations are asymptomatic; however, they can cause numbness, tingling, muscle weakness and pain.
Rear-end accidents can cause a variety of common back and neck injuries due to the sudden, forceful movement of the body. Some of these injuries can be severe and lead to chronic pain, loss of motion and other complications.