You may have purchased a small vehicle to save money on gas and decrease your environmental impact. The car likely faired well on crash tests which generally rate car safety when rammed into a wall. What these tests often do not show is the common scenario of colliding with an SUV, pickup truck or other larger, heavier vehicle. The heavy weight protects the occupants of SUVs and pickup trucks, but increases the seriousness of injuries to occupants of the smaller cars involved in an accident.
Bishop & Hayes, P.C. is an auto accident law firm that helps clients in Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas. Our partners each have more than 25 years of experience and focus exclusively on motor vehicle accident cases. This singular focus allows us to commit our full experience and resources to delivering the best representation to our clients.
When you retain our law firm, our partners handle your claim from your initial consultation to collection of damages. Our partners are fully invested in your case and promise same-day responses to your phone calls and emails.
Vehicle Weight and Size Affect Seriousness of a Crash
Large SUVs weigh 6,000 lbs., almost twice as much as a compact sedan, which weighs 3,100 lbs. on average. Pickup trucks can weigh between 5,000 for the smallest models and as much as 9,000 lbs. for large, heavy-duty models.
These weights change the outcome of an accident. The heavier vehicle pushes the lighter one during a collision and increases velocity. During a head-on collision, for example, an SUV would push a small car backwards and change the velocity much quicker than if both vehicles had been the same weight. That sudden deceleration is a primary factor in crash injuries.
During a T-bone collision, the heavy vehicle would also do more damage as it crushed the side of the smaller car and pushed it out of control or into other objects.