A head-on collision occurs when two vehicles meet head-on, meaning the front of their vehicles meet. There are minor head-on collision cases, but for the most part, these tend to be extremely serious because the combined speed of the two vehicles can be extremely high, and the impacts can be very catastrophic.
If you or a loved one were injured in a head-on auto collision, seek help from a dedicated car accident attorney as soon as possible. A seasoned Ocean Springs head-on collision lawyer could investigate the cause of your crash and help you seek compensation from the reckless driver.
In more rural areas, head-on collisions tend to be on highways or two-lane roads, where there is an excessive amount of speed, and one vehicle may drift into another oncoming lane, causing a head-on collision. These tend to be extremely serious, and it is not uncommon to have deaths in these types of cases.
Head-on collisions are less common on interstates and four-lane highways. But it does happen because there is a median. On city streets, accidents usually occurs when somebody fails to stop at a stop sign, or somebody fails to stop at a red light or other traffic control device and runs into another person that is usually going either the opposite or perpendicular direction.
Head or neck injuries that can cause paralysis or severe traumatic brain injury are some of worst types of injuries that someone could sustain in a head-on crash. Individuals involved in a head-on collision can also sustain internal injuries that can cause death or major injury, and the recovery time can be substantial in those types of cases. Additionally, individuals could sustain injuries such as broken bones, cuts and scrapes, amputations, as well as crush injuries.
Sometimes it is hard to determine the impact because the vehicles clash so violently, and they actually move off the roadway. If the vehicles impact each other and stays where they are at, or there are witnesses to testify about what happened with the vehicles, then liability may be easier to determine. In these situations, a witness may be able to explain who braked when, where the vehicles ended up. Additionally, the skid marks on t he road may show who crossed over the line or who went through the stop sign.
Witness statements and police reports would be in the best position to determine who is at fault. Insurance companies will always try to deflect liability away from their insuree. It is important to have a good lawyer to do the proper investigation to establish negligence. The person who is speeding or whatever, the person that is going to most likely be held accountable for the liability of the accident.
Punitive damages may be awarded in situations where a person was grossly exceeding the speed limit, whether they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or whether they were operating the vehicle in some other negligent way that grossly exceeded normal conduct. There is a number of different circumstances, it should be noted that punitive damages are extremely rare and that they are almost never recoverable under normal insurance policies.
An attorney will want to send our investigators out as soon as possible to collect any kind of witness statements, talk with police officers, and examine the vehicles to take pictures so they can be used as evidence later on.
It is also good to get a history for the party. For example, information on their whereabouts and their alcohol intake. It is really good to have a complete history of both parties in the event of a two-vehicle accident.
One of the biggest issues that attorneys have in these types of cases is that the insurance company will claim that the person really was not that injured because they did not follow up with their physician. This can create some hurdles for the case if they wait weeks and months after the injury to follow up with physicians. The more time that goes by between the accident and treatment, the more likelihood that somebody could have done something differently. They could be working and could cause an injury or doing other activities that may cause an injury that the insurance company can point to.
However, if there is a clean timeline between the accident, getting treatment, and continual follow up, then an attorney could establish that all of the treatment and all of the injuries are related to the accident. It is extremely important to give a complete history of their medical issues so that we can document those accordingly. Sometimes people will not explain all of previous medical issues. All of that is extremely important.
After a car crash, you should seek legal help as soon as possible. There are many things a lawyer could do to help following a head-on collision. An attorney will send their investigators out as soon as possible to collect any kind of witness statements, talk with police officers, and examine the vehicles to take pictures so they can be used as evidence later on. Call today to learn more about how an Ocean Springs head-on collision attorney could help your case.