Car Accident Lawyer Representing Victims in Los Angeles

Head-On Collisions

Head-on collisions may happen due to a driver error, such as turning the wrong way on a one-way street or distracted driving. Generally, drivers who see a vehicle directly approaching them head-on should get out of the way because the force of impact from the front may be deadly or result in catastrophic injuries. In most cases, head-on collisions result from one or both drivers’ negligence.

As a plaintiff, you will need to prove that it is more likely than not that the other driver owed you a duty to use reasonable care but failed to meet that duty, and the failure caused your injuries. In most head-on collision cases, either one or both drivers failed to use reasonable care, and injuries to both drivers are likely. For example, a driver who drives drunk and moves over the centerline into the opposite oncoming lane has likely breached the duty to use reasonable care.

Sometimes, it is challenging to know whom to blame for a head-on collision, due to the force of the impact. It may be necessary to retain an accident reconstruction expert to examine the scene and the evidence, such as skid marks, debris, the position of the cars, and the types of injuries sustained. The expert can testify as to whether it was the other party’s fault.

When injuries are severe, as they often are after a head-on collision, your attorney may also need to retain experts on issues like the extent of the injuries or disabilities and life expectancy. Injuries that may result from a head-on collision include disfigurement, brain trauma, partial or complete paralysis, and multiple fractures. In some cases, the injuries are so serious that an accident victim can no longer work in their former job or must obtain training to change jobs. For example, if you are a construction worker involved in a head-on collision, you may no longer be able to do manual labor after your accident. You may need to do an office job, or you may not be able to work at all.

Damages that are available after a head-on collision include both economic damages, such as medical bills, and noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering. There is no set standard for noneconomic damages. Instead, these are intangible losses that the jury believes would naturally flow from injuries of the type that you suffered. There may be some social stereotypes at play in how a jury evaluates these damages.

When a loved one dies in a head-on collision, you may be able to recover damages through a wrongful death lawsuit. These damages may include medical bills, funeral bills, burial expenses, and loss of love and companionship. In awarding these noneconomic damages in a wrongful death case, the jury is not supposed to consider the plaintiff’s grief or mental anguish, the decedent’s pain and suffering, or the financial condition of the plaintiff.

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