Head-on crashes involve front end to front end impacts, and often result in extremely severe consequences. If you have been involved in a head-on collision, it is likely that driver negligence caused the accident. Victims injured by negligent drivers can sue for compensation to cover medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.
The impact that is generated during a head on crash often results in fatal injuries, ejection from the vehicle, or other catastrophic injuries. Although front-end collisions only account for two percent of all auto accidents, they cause 10 percent of all car-related fatalities. The impact is often effectively 160 mph of force. Although frontal air bags can help somewhat, the internal organs, particularly the brain and spinal column, are often severely damaged.
Common Causes of Head-On Collisions
Head-on collisions occur for many different reasons, some of the common factors involved include:
- A driver intentionally travels in the wrong direction down a road
- A driver falls asleep at the wheel, and inadvertently veers into oncoming traffic
- Construction
- Distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Excessive rate of speed
- Obstacles in the road
- Passing on a two-lane road
- Small and narrow roadways
- Stopped vehicles in the road
- Sudden lane changes
- Vehicular malfunction
Common Injuries Resulting from Head-On Collisions
Head-on collisions typically cause grave injuries or fatalities. Some of the common injuries from these types of wrecks include:
- Blunt force trauma
- Broken or crushed legs
- Concussions
- Contusions
- Hyper-extension of neck
- Internal bleeding
- Lacerations
- Neck injuries
- Neck sprains
- Organ damage
- Paralysis
- Paraplegia
- Quadriplegia
- Spinal cord damage
- Whiplash
The severity of the injuries sustained is often a factor of how fast the vehicles were traveling when they collided, and the size of the vehicles. A head-on collision of a passenger vehicle with a truck on the highway almost always results in fatalities.
Negligence and Liability in Head-On Collisions
Frontal crashes usually occur when a driver has made a serious mistake. To prevail in a personal injury claim, a victim typically must prove negligence. This can be defined as the failure to use the same amount of care that a reasonable person would use under the same or similar circumstances. To prove negligence, a litigant must prove several elements:
- Duty. First, one must establish that the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care not to cause an accident.
- Breach. The plaintiff then must establish that the defendant breached this duty.
- Causation. The plaintiff must then demonstrate that the defendant caused the accident. There are two types of causation: actual cause and proximate cause. Actual cause means that the defendant directly caused the accident. Proximate cause means that there was no other interceding cause, such as another driver.
- Finally, the plaintiff must show that there were sustained physical injuries and/or property loss.
Hiring an experienced car accident lawyer can greatly increase your chances of a successful car accident claim.
South Carolina Car Accident Lawyers at Chappell Smith & Arden, P.A. Fight for Compensation for Victims of Head-On Collisions
Head-on crashes involve severe injuries, and medical bills can be extensive. At Chappell Smith & Arden, P.A.,our car accident lawyers in South Carolina have extensive experience working with medical experts who can estimate projected medical expenses into the future. We also have experience utilizing accident reconstruction techniques to prove negligence of the driver responsible for the accident. To learn more about how we can help, call us today at 803-929-3600 or contact us online. With six office locations throughout South Carolina, we represent injured victims throughout the state.