Advocates of California Head-On Collision Lawyers

A study at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that head-on collisions are most likely to occur when a motor vehicle driver is making an “unintentional” maneuver. 

The NHTSA categorized unintentional maneuvers as the following below:

• Sleepiness. When a driver falls asleep behind the wheel
• High Speed. Travels too fast to negotiate a curve
• Distracted.Texting, finding lost objects while driving, and distraction.
• DUI. Driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. 

When a motor vehicle driver gets drowsy or distracted and drifts off the road, the change in the driving surface jolts them back to attention. A majority of head-on collisions occur when a driver is in this type of a situation over-corrects for leaving the roadway and steers into oncoming traffic. Additionally, the NHTSA also indicated that speeding and driving under the influence of controlled substances such as alcohol are also great contributing factors in many head-on collisions injuries.

Whether the cause of the head-on collision accident was due to negligence or unintentionally, it is imperative to consult with an experienced personal attorney to protect your legal rights. A collision injury lawyer will fight for your rights and work hard to obtain the maximum compensation that you and your family deserve.

Results of Head-On Collision Accidents Injury

If a head-on accident did occur, the injuries sustained by the victims are often extremely catastrophic and even fatal. It is vital that the  Personal Injury attorney handling the case has a strong understanding of the physics involved in these types of accidents in order to decipher the result of the injuries and the impact of the severity endured.

There are common injuries sustained by victims of head-on collisions: 

• Internal bleeding and organ injuries

• Neck and back injuries

• Broken or fractured bones

• Traumatic brain injuries and other close-head injuries

• Spinal cord injuries resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia

• Death 

Some Facts about Head-On Collisions 

Frequently, head-on collisions accidents that involve front-end to front end impacts are caused by speeding and reckless driving or driving under the influence. Often times these devastating accidents occur on two-way roads or where lane crossing is most common. Consequently, a high-speed collision on a freeway can lead to massive injuries and fatalities, even if the collision is at slow speeds, it can also impact a devastating consequence. You will have to consult with an experienced collision injury lawyer to precisely figure out the category in which your accident falls.

There are some of the common causes of head-on collisions:

• Distracted Drivers. Motor vehicle drivers can become distracted by finding a lost object in the vehicle, using GPS devices and other onboard technology, dialing, talking, or texting on smartphones, eating, and drinking or talking to other passengers. Although using a cell phone while driving is illegal, distracted driving is still a leading cause of car accidents, including head-on collisions.
• Collateral Accidents. In a multi-vehicle accident, cars can bounce off each other, sending one or more cars into lanes of oncoming traffic
• Faulty Traffic Signals. A majority of motor vehicle drivers are not aware that when a traffic light is out, they must proceed as if the light were operating, stop, and wait to proceed until it is safe. Drivers may also turn in front of one another, which can lead to a head-on collision.
• Driving Under the Influence (DUI). Intoxicated driving contributes to the majority of head-on collisions. The reflexes of drunk drivers are significantly impaired as is their ability to calculate distance and direction.
• Fatigue Driver. Employees who are working the night shift, long-haul truckers and other sleep-deprived drivers are prone to fatigue and diminished reflexes and are more likely to fall asleep at the wheel of the road. If you find yourself in this or any other kind of accident, contact our collision injury lawyer.
• Poor Road Conditions. Potholes and debris on the road, inadequate lighting, broken guardrails, and faded divider lines can cause a driver to veer into oncoming traffic. 

Common Head-On Collision Injuries 

Although driver and passenger side airbags can help to reduce the impact of head-on collisions, the force is still great enough to cause significant injuries, including:

• Broken Facial Bones. Due to the fact that head-on impact is often severe enough to crush the bone structure of the face, fractures to eye sockets, cheeks chins and jawbones are most common.
• Whiplash. Based on the severity of the impact, the occupants’ necks, shoulders and heads can violently twist back and forth and side to side, causing injuries to the tendons, ligaments and muscles.
• Back and Spine. A severe impact injury can cause discs in the spinal cord to herniate, or the spinal cord can bruise or sever, leading to paralysis or even death.
• Contusions, Laceration, Abrasions. The secondary injuries can occur when loose objects in the vehicle or shards of broken glass, metal, fiberglass and pieces of plastic fly around the car at high speeds causing injuries to faces, arms, and legs.
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The skulls can fracture after impacting the steering wheel, windshield or vehicle frame. In some cases, the brain will slam against the skull, resulting in concussions or more serious injuries, while the skull could also splinter in the brain, causing serious brain damage. 

Determining Liability in a Head-on Collision

In California, all drivers have a legal duty of care not to cause injuries to others. They must abide and obey all traffic laws, driving safety and avoid causing injuries to other drivers. A driver, who fails to follow traffic laws, drives reckless or otherwise endangers the health and safety of others can be held liable for accidents that lead to property damage, injuries and fatalities.

In order to have a valid claim, it is necessary to show that the other driver breached his or her duty of care, the driver’s negligence caused the accident, and the accident was the direct cause of the injuries. When you engage the services of an experienced car accident attorney, it is possible to build a successful claim and recover damages for lost wages, past and future medical expenses, property damage and pain and suffering, among others. 

Contact an Experienced California Head-On Collision Attorney Today 

If you or a loved one has suffered serious injuries due to a head-on collision caused by the negligence of another driver, an experienced  Accident Attorney can help and advocate determining whether you’re not your case holds merit. Call to get a FREE CONSULTATION at (310) 894-6440 to discuss your case with a collision injury lawyer.

We Fight To Recover Your Remedies

Based on the specifications of your case – the details of the accident, how severe your injury was, it is ultimately going to determine what you could be entitled to sustain based on your case. However, what you can be compensated for if your case prevails can often be put into several different categories.

The categories of compensation can include:

Medical bills: Should you win your case, you could be awarded compensation for medical bills you’ve had to pay as a result of your injury. This includes both past and future bills stemming from the injury, and can potentially cover expenses such as transport or in-home rehabilitation services.

Lost wages: Lost wages can be awarded if your injury has caused significant missed time at work, or has made you unable to perform your job. You could be entitled to even more lost wages if the injury leaves you permanently disabled and unable to find consistent work.

 Pain and suffering: In some cases, the damages endured from physical pain and emotional suffering can be compensated to pay for therapy treatments.

Punitive damages: Punitive damages are awarded in more extreme cases, wherein the injury was caused by someone’s recklessness. They are awarded to try and dissuade the defendant and others from acting with that level of recklessness again.

No Recovery. No Pay.

Contact a Personal Injury Accident Lawyer to schedule a free, no-obligation initial case evaluation at (310) 894-6440. Our Auto Accident Attorney will help protect your rights. And remember, You Don’t Pay until You Win, or You Don’t Pay At All!