Head-On Collisions

Head-on collisions are the auto accidents that drivers see in their worst nightmares. And with good reason: They’re the deadliest type of car accident. When two vehicles run into one another head-on, the speed of both vehicles combined becomes the speed of the collision -- effectively doubling the force at which they hit one another. The resulting damage and injuries can be catastrophic. That’s why, even though they’re rare relative to other types of accidents, head-on collisions cause a disproportionate number of the fatalities on American roads.

The Department of Transportation’s study of all reported car crashes in the United States in 2005 shows that head-on crashes with another vehicle accounted for just two percent of all crashes that year and 3.4 percent of injury crashes, but 10.1 percent of fatal crashes. Single-vehicle collisions with a pole, tree, ditch or guardrail accounted for another 11.1 of all single-vehicle accidents, but 21.5 percent of fatalities and 12.8 percent of injuries.

When vehicle occupants in a head-on collision aren’t protected by seat belts or airbags, they risk almost certain death. Even if occupants do use some type of safety restraint in a head-on crash, the most likely result is death, at 28.6 percent of head-on collisions, followed by minor injuries, at 15.3 percent, and incapacitating injuries, at 9.1 percent. Severe injuries commonly seen in survivors of head-on crashes include traumatic brain injuries; internal damage; spinal injuries and multiple fractures. Less serious wounds from a head-on collision can include head and neck injuries, back injuries, broken bones and significant cuts and bruises.

Head-on crashes in which a single vehicle collides with a fixed object are the deadliest kind of head-on crash. That’s because the fronts of vehicles are designed to take the force of a head-on impact. In a multiple-vehicle frontal crash, both vehicles’ fronts absorb part of the impact. But in a single-vehicle crash between a car and another kind of object, only one vehicle is absorbing the force of the crash. Much of the rest of it is absorbed by the occupant or occupants of the vehicle -- with deadly results.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the majority of head-on collisions between multiple vehicles take place when both of the vehicles involved are going straight on an undivided road. A 1999 study of crash data by the federal Department of Transportation showed that most head-on collisions happen when a car accidentally moves from its own lane into oncoming traffic. The majority, 68 percent, of head-on fatalities happened when cars were going straight but strayed from their lanes; 23 percent took place when drivers strayed while following bends in the road. Only a minority, 4.2 percent, of the fatal head-on crashes they studied were caused by a driver’s attempt to pass. Other causes of head-on collisions can include rerouting in construction zones, poorly maintained roads and defective auto parts.

More facts about head-on collisions:

Like all car crashes, head-on crashes are almost always caused by bad decisions -- negligent driving -- by one or more of the drivers involved. It’s known that 95 percent of all car crashes are caused by driver error; the DOT has found that most crashes happen within three seconds of a driver distraction, such as fiddling with the radio, dialing a handheld device or excessive sleepiness. Impaired driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol is also a significant cause of auto accidents, and is exacerbated in many cases by speeding.

In recent years, transportation safety authorities have realized that differences in size between two vehicles are the main cause of death in multiple-vehicle crashes. One study found that in a head-on collision between a passenger car and a light truck (such as an SUV, van or pickup truck), the occupants of the car were 3.3 times as likely to be killed. When a larger vehicle and a smaller one collide, the occupants of the smaller vehicle are likely to sustain more serious injuries because the higher bumper and other protruding features of the larger vehicle are at the level of the heads and necks of the occupants of the smaller vehicle. The force of the impact “deforms” the smaller vehicle, pushing jagged metal and glass into the area where occupants sit, potentially crushing or cutting their vulnerable heads and necks.

BISNAR | CHASE has pursued justice for auto accident victims since 1978. In that time, we’ve been able to win tens of millions of dollars to help our injured clients pay medical bills, compensate for the death of a loved one and get back on their feet after a devastating accident. We offer free case evaluations for head-on accident victims, and we never collect a fee until after we win your case.

A head-on collision changes victims’ lives in an instant, causing wrongful deaths, lifelong disabilities, brain damage, amputations and scarring -- not to mention totaled vehicles and lost wages. If you or someone you love has been killed or seriously injured in a head-on collision caused by someone else’s negligence, you have the right to hold that person legally liable. But if you’re considering filing a lawsuit, you should move quickly; the statute of limitations in California can be as short as six months. For a free, no-obligation consultation, call us today at 1-800-561-4846 or click here to fill out our convenient online case evaluation form.

HOLDING WRONGDOERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DAMAGES THEY CAUSE SINCE 1978

BISNAR | CHASE 2006-2010 - Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 60 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. BISNAR | CHASE has received this award for three consecutive years.