Houston car wreck lawyers emphasize that the mass and speed of your vehicle relative to the other vehicle in a collision makes a big difference for your chances of surviving the wreck with little or no injury. The car that’s going faster at the time of the collision tends to inflict much more damage on the other vehicle and its occupants, even if both vehicles were of the same type and size. And a heavier vehicle with greater mass has the advantage over a smaller, lighter vehicle in a Houston wreck.
For example, around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning in NE Harris County, an SUV left the road, drove up a curb, and rammed into the side of a PT Cruiser. PT Cruisers are basically compact cars designed for maximum interior volume on their small wheelbase. If you park a PT Cruiser next to an ordinary SUV, the PT Cruiser looks like a teenage SUV waiting to grow up. (PT Cruiser owners should not take these words as a disparagement. The writer of this article drives one, and loves the huge interior volume in this car that fits nicely into almost any available parking space. And the PT Cruisers still have one of the most distinctive profiles on the road.)
But in this Wednesday wreck in NE Harris County, the driver of the SUV remained uninjured, even while the SUV ended up on its side. The driver of the PT Cruiser received transport to the hospital in serious condition. Our Houston car wreck lawyers note that the first responders were going to test the SUV driver’s blood. It was unclear at the time of the accident whether that driver was impaired or fell asleep when the SUV left the road.
So drivers of small vehicles, enjoy the advantages of your vehicles, but stay alert and exercise caution while you drive. The size and weight of your vehicle puts you at a disadvantage in a wreck, though the small vehicle offers other advantages (for instance, the ability to safely slip into tight parking spaces).
If you’re ever hurt in a wreck, and you need to know what steps to take to receive the compensation that will pay for your car damage and medical bills, feel free to download our Houston car wreck lawyers’ guide on the important do’s and don’ts of car accident claims. It’s available here on our website, free to our readers. Just click and download.