Accident Terms and Definitions

Tort
An injury or wrong committed, with or without force, to the person or property of another, which gives rise to a claim for damages.

Raised Pavement Markers (R.P.M.)
Non-reflectorized ceramic pavement markers, also known as "Bott's Dotts", are most often used to delineate travel lane lines. Reflectorized RPM's come in many different colors and are used to delineate travel lane lines and outside boundaries.

Reference Point
In angular momentum, the point in space around which the motion of an object is described. The angular momentum of an object is defined in relation to some point, the reference point. The velocity and radius of an object are measured from the reference point.

Tripped Rollovers
NHTSA data show that 95% of single-vehicle rollovers are tripped . This happens when a vehicle leaves the roadway and slides sideways, digging its tires into soft soil or striking an object such as a curb or guardrail.

Collision Scrub
Occurs during a traffic collision when the downward and rotating forces cause a smearing of tire material on the road surface.

Failure to yield the right of way
Can be when you proceed forward while disregarding right of way signs or signals for other cars. You may not be the car that is sopossed to go forward.

Failure to signal
There are laws and driving rules that instruct proper turning signals, at time a hand or a light signal is required to be used. A right hand turn may not be permited, or a turn in an intersection may be done incorectly.

PT - Physical Therapy
the evaluation, assessment, and treatment of dysfunction caused by injuries to the soft tissue and muscles/skeleton . Treatment shall consist of therapeutic exercises, education and other modalities, such as the therapeutic use of heat, light, water, electricity, massage & more.

Common law
Law which derives its authority solely from usage and customs of immemorial antiquity or from the judgments and decrees of courts. also called "case law."

Choice no fault
In some state a hybrid no fault system known as " choice no fault " exists. In these states, you may choose to be insured under a strict no-fault plan, in which case you're unable to sue an at fault driver and also can't be sued if you're at fault.