Auto Accident:
an incident in which an automobile collides with anything that causes damage
to the automobile, including other automobiles, telephone poles, buildings
or trees, or in which the driver loses control of the vehicle and damages it
in some other way, such as driving into a ditch or rolling over. Sometimes a
car accident may also refer to an automobile striking a human or animal. Car
crashes are also called road traffic accidents (RTAs), traffic collisions,
auto accidents, road accidents, personal injury collisions, motor vehicle
accidents (MVAs). Car collisions usually carry legal consequences in
proportion to the severity of the crash. Nearly all common law jurisdictions
impose some kind of requirement that parties involved in a collision (even
with only stationary property) must stop at the scene, and exchange
insurance or identification information or summon the police. Failing to
obey this requirement is referred to as hit and run and is generally a
criminal offence.
