December 5, 2025 | Car Accidents in Atlanta
Georgia accident reports require law enforcement officers to categorize car accidents according to several characteristics, including harmful events, contributing factors, and environmental conditions. Researchers can use the state’s crash data portal to filter crashes by various criteria to understand the frequency and outcomes of certain crash types.
The following car accidents are both rare and potentially catastrophic:
1. DUI Collision
DUI crashes make up a small share of all police-reported wrecks, but they’re dramatically overrepresented in fatal outcomes. In Georgia, there were 1,615 traffic deaths in 2023, and about 20% involved an alcohol-impaired driver (BAC ≥ 0.08), according to NHTSA’s latest FARS estimates.
In many fatal DUI crashes, the person who dies is the impaired driver—often in single-vehicle events (e.g., running off the road or striking a fixed object). But drunk or drug-impaired motorists also put everyone else at risk, and these crashes frequently kill or seriously injure other road users in metro Atlanta and across the state.
2. Explosion or Fire
Despite the movie trope, cars rarely explode or catch on fire. They include many safety systems to prevent fuel from leaking. However, a collision can increase the risk that fuel vapors or fluid will ignite. If they do, vehicle occupants can suffer severe or fatal injuries, including burn injuries and blast injuries.
3. Collision With a Vulnerable Road User Other Than a Bicycle or Pedestrian
When the police respond to the scene of a collision between a vehicle and a vulnerable road user, they typically find an injured pedestrian or bicyclist.
However, drivers can also injure or kill other types of road users, including the following:
- People inside buildings struck by vehicles
- Scooter riders
- Wheelchair users
- E-bike and e-scooter riders
These collisions can have catastrophic outcomes at any speed, since these crash victims rarely wear helmets or have any other protection against a collision.
4. Rollover Accident
Rollover accidents are pretty unusual. A typical rollover occurs when a vehicle loses control, skids on slick roads, or collides with another object. When the vehicle’s center of gravity moves outside its track width, the vehicle will tip and roll.
Rollover accidents can have catastrophic outcomes in a few situations. If the occupants fail to wear their seatbelts or slip out of them, they can be ejected from the vehicle. The impact on the ground and the risk of getting crushed by the vehicle can cause serious or fatal injuries.
Finally, the upper structures of a vehicle are not designed to withstand multiple rolls. The roof can collapse, and the windshield can shatter. The occupants could suffer life-threatening crushing injuries and lacerations.
5. Jackknife Accident
Jackknife accidents happen when the tractor and trailer of a semi-truck form an acute angle. This type of crash is relatively rare.
The catastrophic outcomes of these truck accidents do not usually affect the truck driver. They are relatively safe inside the elevated cab of the truck. However, as the driver loses control of their truck, they can slam into other vehicles.
If the jackknife accident occurred due to slick roads, the truck driver may have had no way of stopping the truck and would have had to wait until it comes to a stop on its own.
6. Trailer Decoupling
Another rare truck accident happens when the trailer decouples from the tractor. Federal law requires trucking companies to maintain and repair their equipment. Thus, spontaneous decoupling is a rare event. However, wear and a lack of adequate inspections can leave a truck or trailer without a functioning connection.
A fully loaded trailer can contain cargo weighing tens of thousands of pounds. Although the trailer’s brakes are designed to automatically engage when the trailer decouples, the brakes cannot stop the trailer immediately if the truck is traveling at highway speeds. As a result, the loose trailer can hit vehicles, drop its cargo, or roll over.
7. Train Collision
Collisions between motor vehicles and trains are relatively rare. Even in a large city like Atlanta, which has a rail system, only a few train crashes occur each year. However, in a collision between a freight or passenger train and a motor vehicle, the vehicle will suffer catastrophic damage.
Worse yet, many of these collisions are avoidable. Impatient drivers may maneuver around railroad crossing gates to avoid waiting for the train to pass. When the train hits the vehicle, the side impact can crush its occupants.
8. Immersion in Water
Vehicle crashes rarely involve immersion in water. For this to occur, a driver would need to deliberately or accidentally drive into a body of water, such as a lake, river, or ocean. These accidents can also happen when floodwaters sweep a vehicle away.
However, once a vehicle is in deep water, the occupants will have difficulty escaping. The pressure of the water holds the doors closed. As the vehicle fills with water, the occupants can drown. Even if they manage to escape the vehicle, they may not have the ability to swim to safety.
9. Driving Off an Overpass
Another rare crash type occurs when vehicles go off overpasses. Bridge and overpass rails are designed to withstand collisions. As a result, most collisions on bridges and overpasses will be contained. However, weakened bridges or exceptionally energetic crashes could damage the guardrail and result in a vehicle falling over the side.
10. Collision at an Accident Scene
A rare but often catastrophic crash type happens when a driver pulls onto the shoulder after a collision. Another vehicle then strikes either the parked vehicle or the driver who exited their vehicle. This crash after a crash is more likely when road or visibility conditions are poor.
Contact the Atlanta Car Accident Attorneys at Goldstein & Hayes, LLC for Help Today
If you suffered serious injuries after a car accident in Atlanta, Georgia we are here for you. If you’d like to schedule a free case consultation with an experienced Atlanta personal injury attorney from Goldstein & Hayes, LLC, please don’t hesitate to call (404) 869-8600, or you can visit our office:
Goldstein & Hayes Accident Lawyers
3060 Peachtree Rd NW UNIT 1000,
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 869-8600
