While many Texans may think of rear-end collisions as little more than fender-benders, they can and often do lead to serious or even fatal injuries. Depending on the speed of the vehicle at the time of the accident and other factors, a person can experience whiplash, which is a soft-tissue injury to the neck. In the worst case scenario, the force of the impact can cause such extensive damage to the victim’s body that the victim will not survive.
This may be exactly what happened on a major thoroughfare in Houston recently. Authorities said that a woman died as a result of this car accident shortly after being taken to the hospital. They also said that the other occupants of the vehicle that got rear-ended suffered physical injuries which they described as minor.
Police had to close the highway for several hours while they responded to the accident and started their investigation. They said that the case is still under investigation and that they are collecting witness statements. However, they also said that they did not suspect drunken driving was a contributing factor in this crash.
As authorities have indicated, there will be further investigation into this tragedy. In any event, though, it was evident that one vehicle rear-ended the other as they were both traveling in the same direction on the highway.
This accident therefore can serve as an important reminder about keeping a safe following distance, particularly when traveling at high speeds. It is also critical that drivers pay attention to the road at all times.When Texas drivers fail in these basic responsibilities, the end result can be a serious or even fatal rear-end collision. Victims of such accidents and their families may have legal options available to them.