A head-on accident is the most dangerous and horrific type of motor vehicle accident imaginable. On top of the physical and mental damage that head-on accidents cause, there are the financial damages to consider which add further stress for you and your family.
California Head-On Accident Lawyers Offering Free Consultations
If you are injured or a loved one has been killed in a head-on car accident caused by someone else’s negligence, the experienced and compassionate California car accident lawyers at Maison Law will fight for you in seeking compensation for your injuries.
We have a proven track record of success going up against at-fault drivers and their insurance companies. If you would like to learn more, contact us today for a free consultation.
California Head-On Accident Statistics
Head-on accidents are among the most devastating types of car accidents, due in large part to the impact and how your body responds. Because these accidents are so dangerous, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) uses data tracking to record instances of these accidents to better prepare and respond to them. In 2019, head-on accidents accounted for the following in California:
- 20,516 total injuries and deaths
- 466 deaths
- 20,050 injuries
- 3,428 visible injuries
- 749 severe injuries
- 8,919 complaints of pain
While you cannot control another driver participating in these activities, you can keep your eyes out for suspicious movement of cars on the other side of the road to help prevent one of these devastating accidents.
What Causes Head-on Accidents in California?
As the name suggests, head-on accidents occur when the front ends of two vehicles strike each other from opposite directions. They typically happen because one driver has crossed over a center dividing line or gone the wrong way on a street. As the data above shows, head-on accidents typically cause severe injuries. Further, if they happen at high speeds, fatalities are not uncommon.
While there are several different scenarios in which a head-on collision occurs, the most common are usually the following:
- Speeding
- Texting while driving
- Drunk driving
- Drowsy driving
- Trying to pass another car illegally
No matter the cause of the head-on accident, injuries, property damage, and even death could potentially result. Moreover, multiple injuries can result, especially to your face, neck, and head because of how you are positioned in your car during a head-on accident.
Common Head-On Accident Injuries in California
According to the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS), head-on accidents carry the highest fatality rate out of all other types of car accidents at nearly 58%. While death is obviously the worst case scenario in a head-on accident, the nature of these accidents often lead to significant injuries for both drivers and passengers.
Whether your car has front or side airbags, severe head, neck, and spinal cord injuries often result in head-on accidents. Other injuries include:
- Lacerations with the likelihood of scarring from the impact and flying glass.
- Internal organ damage
- Facial fractures
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Broken bones and fractures
- Paralysis or spinal cord injuries
- Whiplash
- Head, neck, and shoulder injuries
- Back strains
Liability in California Head-On Accidents
In most cases, head-on accidents are caused by driver negligence. If you can prove that the other driver caused the accident through their failure to use reasonable care while driving, you might be able to prove their liability.
Like any other car accident, determining liability rests on establishing negligence. Negligence, generally speaking, has four elements that must be met to establish it:
- Duty of care by the other driver
- Breach of that duty by the other driver
- You or another driver suffering an injury.
- Proving that the other driver breached their duty and caused the injury (also known as “proximate cause”)
Even if you can establish that the other driver acted negligently when they caused the head-on accident, California’s laws have further requirements when it comes to the amount of compensation you can recover. Under the law, California is a “pure comparative negligence” state, meaning that your recoverable damages are reduced by your percentage of fault in the accident.
Therefore, if it is determined that your fault in the accident amounts to 20%, that same percentage will be taken out of your potential compensation.
Seeking Compensation for Damages After a Head-on Accident in California
Indeed, there are a wide variety of causes of head-on accidents. But because they are often so serious, California allows victims who have been injured by the carelessness and negligence of others to seek the following types of damages:
- Past and future medical bills resulting from the crash.
- Past and future lost earnings related to the crash.
- Any permanent, disfigurement, disability or both.
- Pain and suffering resulting from the accident and injuries.
- Loss of enjoyment of a normal life.
- Funeral and burial costs and other valuable damages in the event of wrongful death.
- Punitive damages might be allowed under certain circumstances like an accident and injuries that were caused by a drunk driver.
Insurance companies are in business to make as much money as possible. They don’t do that by voluntarily paying out large sums of money to compensate injury victims. If you try to take even the first step on your own in approaching an insurance company, it will use strategies against you that are designed to devalue your case, such as:
- Challenging the validity of your claim
- Disputing the liability of their insured
- Proving some percentage of negligence on your part
- Questioning the facts of the accident
While there is no requirement for having a lawyer represent you in a head-on accident claim, it would be in your best interest to do so. Our team of experienced car accident lawyers know how to negotiate with an insurance company, and they have all the resources of our proven and tested law firm at their disposal to make sure your claim is as strong as possible.
Consult With Experienced California Head-On Accident Lawyers
After being injured in a head-on crash, or losing a loved one in such a tragedy, contact us at Maison Law as soon as you can to talk about the accident and what it has done to you and your family. That consultation comes with no cost whatsoever. We promise to listen to you closely and answer your questions truthfully.
We also promise that if we’re retained to represent you or your family, we’ll work toward the maximum compensation that is available for your injuries and losses. Don’t try to take that first step alone. Contact us at Maison Law after being injured or losing a loved one in any head-on accident anywhere in California.
