A head-on collision happens when the fronts of two vehicles collide—usually on a dual-lane roadway with one travel lane in each direction. When these accidents occur at high speeds, drivers and passengers can suffer extremely serious—and sometimes fatal—injuries. You have legal options if you or someone you love suffered injuries in a head-on vehicle crash. Your lawyer can review the police report and, if necessary, retain an accident reconstructionist who can investigate the accident circumstances. If you can file a car accident claim, your lawyer can negotiate a favorable settlement from the responsible driver's insurer. Suppose the insurance company does not settle your case favorably. Then, your car accident lawyer can file a lawsuit and, if necessary, take the case to a jury trial or binding arbitration. Your lawyer will do whatever they can to maximize the compensation you recover for your injuries.
Common Injuries that Head-on Crash Victims Suffer
When vehicles moving at high speeds collide head-on, the resulting injuries can be devastating and deadly. The force of a head-on impact might cause the driver or passenger in an impacted vehicle to suffer crush injuries. The impact may also eject an individual from the vehicle. At other times, accident victims can suffer severe head injuries, spinal cord injuries, full or partial paralysis, internal organ damage, soft tissue injuries, and even death, in the worst cases. If you suffered injuries in a head-on car crash, seek medical treatment at a hospital emergency room or local urgent care center. Even if you don't know whether you sustained an injury, seek emergency medical care. An untreated injury—such as a bone fracture or traumatic head injury—can worsen significantly with time. The emergency room healthcare provider can physically examine you and order the necessary tests to ascertain your medical condition, including CAT scans, MRIs, and X-rays. If you require emergency treatment, the provider can ensure you receive it while at the hospital. Moreover, the provider can make recommendations for follow-up treatment that you might need, such as a surgical procedure or physical therapy. When you treat your injuries, you must avoid significant gaps. Accident victims who do not treat themselves continuously for their injuries risk severely harming their car accident claims. Insurance company adjusters who see delayed medical treatment and significant treatment gaps assume that the accident victim did not suffer severe injuries in their car crash. As a result, they will resist compensating you. While you focus on receiving medical treatment after your head-on crash, your lawyer can begin assembling a settlement demand letter and a demand package for you. The demand package will include copies of your lost income statements, medical treatment records, impact statements, photographs of injuries, police reports, and pictures of your property damage. The insurance company adjuster will then use all of this information to evaluate your claim.Common Causes of Head-on Crashes
Head-on car crashes occur for various reasons, but one of the most common causes is negligent driving. Negligent driving takes multiple forms, and some of the most common types include distracted driving, intoxicated driving, road rage, and violating driving laws. At other times, crashes happen because of a mechanical defect, such as a steering or braking defect. If necessary, your lawyer can investigate the specific cause of your accident to help you prove the legal elements of your car accident claim.- Distracted driving
- Intoxicated driving
- Road rage
- Speeding.
- Failing to yield the right-of-way to other vehicles.
- Failing to use turn signals.
- Passing on a solid double line.
- Passing vehicles in a no-passing zone.
- Mechanical defects
Filing a Timely Lawsuit for Damages After a Head-on Collision
If you or your loved one suffered injuries in a head-on car crash, you only have two years from your accident date to file a personal injury lawsuit seeking monetary damages. Otherwise, the Texas court will time-bar your claim, and you cannot recover financial compensation. To prevent this from happening in your car accident case, contact a knowledgeable lawyer immediately after your head-on crash. Your car accident lawyer can file a lawsuit on your behalf on time. They can then work to negotiate a favorable settlement for you or, if necessary, litigate your case in court. The sooner you involve a car accident lawyer in your case, the higher the likelihood you will recover favorable damages.Recovering Monetary Compensation Following a Head-on Crash
Following a head-on car crash, many accident victims suffer permanent injuries that cause them pain and suffering for the remainder of their lives. They may also require extensive medical treatment, including physical therapy, which causes them to miss time from work.
The monetary damages that a car accident victim can recover will depend upon the severity of their accident, the extent of their injuries, whether they missed time from work and related factors. Potential damages that head-on crash victims can recover include:
Lost income - Head-on car crash victims often need to take time off work to recover from their injuries. They may also require the time to attend medical and physical therapy appointments during the day. In those instances, an accident victim can recover damages for lost earnings.
To prove lost income, the accident victim will typically need to submit a signed income statement from their employer, which says how many days they missed—and the amount of money they lost per day. They will also need to submit medical treatment records in which a doctor authorizes the accident victim to be off work for a specific time.
Loss of earning capacity - Some head-on crash victims suffer such severe injuries that they cannot return to work. At other times, they might need to switch to light duty—or work in a different field, often for less pay. When that happens, the accident victim can bring a claim for loss of earning capacity to recover the difference in compensation between their old job and their new job.
Inconvenience, pain, and suffering - Accident victims often experience intense pain, suffering, and inconvenience while a medical provider or physical therapist treats them. Therefore, they may recover compensation for their past pain and suffering from their accident date through the present.
Head-on crash injuries are sometimes permanent and impact an accident victim for the remainder of their lifetime. Some accident victims even require around-the-clock care, such as at a nursing home or assisted living facility. These accident victims can recover compensation for their anticipated future pain, suffering, and inconvenience.
Mental anguish - Head-on collision injuries and treatment often severely strain an accident victim's mental health. Therefore, crash victims can pursue compensation for their emotional distress and mental anguish stemming from the accident. They can also recover damages for their pre-impact fright when they first saw the vehicle approaching them and the actual impact.
Loss of use - Some head-on crash victims suffer spinal cord injuries, such as partial or full paralysis, which prevent them from moving or using a part of their body for the remainder of their life. When that happens, the accident victim brings a claim for loss of the ability to use a body part.
Loss of life enjoyment - Some car accident victims suffer injuries that prevent them from leading an enriched life. They might be unable to spend time with family members and friends as they did before the accident. Similarly, they might be unable to engage in recreational activities, such as sporting events, which they once enjoyed. When that happens, the accident victim can bring a claim for loss of life enjoyment.
A knowledgeable car crash lawyer can help you determine which of these damages you are eligible to recover. Your lawyer can then pursue the compensation you deserve for everything you went through after your head-on crash.
Wrongful Death Claims after a Head-on Collision
Some victims of head-on car accidents, unfortunately, succumb to their injuries and pass away. When that happens, the accident victim’s surviving family members can pursue a wrongful death claim or lawsuit for damages. A wrongful death claim proceeds in much the same way as any other car accident claim. The surviving family members, or the personal representative of the deceased individual’s estate, will need to demonstrate that another driver’s negligence caused the accident—and that, as a result, the individual died. As part of a wrongful death claim, claimants can pursue monetary compensation for the loss of the deceased individual’s anticipated future income, funeral and burial expenses, and loss of the decedent’s companionship, comfort, and care.Call a Car Accident Lawyer Today
