Few crashes are more devastating than head-on collisions. Data indicates that while these crashes are fairly rare, they are disproportionately deadly. A head-on impact becomes a severe crash at modest speeds. For drivers who are injured in head-on collisions caused by another driver, there are ways to collect compensation. Because of the serious nature of head-on crashes, there is a high chance that the victim’s injuries will be critical and costly.

Recovering from a negligent driver after a car crash can help a person recover compensation that will pay for medical care and other losses associated with the accident. Call the Durham Law Group today at 813-333-6250 to discuss your legal options for pursuing a claim against a Tampa driver who caused harm to you or your loved ones.

What Causes Head-on Collisions?

In many cases, head-on collisions are the result of a relatively minor error. Lane departure crashes are those that occur when a driver swerves out of their lane. Sometimes, a lane departure will not cause any problems, and the driver will be able to correct themselves. Other times, the results can be a sideswipe impact, a run-off-the-road crash, or a head-on collision.

Many roadways in the United States lack any form of barrier that would prevent drivers from drifting across the center line and into oncoming vehicles. In the case of roads where traffic is traveling at low speeds, this is still a serious risk to motorists. When traveling above 40 miles per hour, a head-on collision will frequently lead to life-altering or even deadly consequences.

Distraction can often cause a driver to leave their lane, as can drunk driving. Speeding is another issue that can lead to these crashes, especially if a driver is traveling too fast around a curve in the road. For drivers who are traveling in the right direction, these crashes occur so quickly there might be no time to react. Swerving or applying the brakes might help, but it might also lead to impacts with other vehicles.

In some cases, these crashes even occur on divided roads. Wrong-way crashes are head-on impacts that occur when a motorist enters a divided highway or interstate traveling against the flow of traffic. The driver might make such mistakes by making an illegal U-turn or because they drove onto an exit ramp. Of course, most of these roads have high-speed limits, which means that these are some of the worst kinds of crashes and often prove fatal. Drivers who enter divided roads against the flow of traffic have made a major error and one that traffic officials go to great lengths to prevent. Studies indicate that the drivers who cause wrong-way crashes are drunk or on drugs more than half of the time.

Liability in Head-on Crashes

In order to recover damages after a head-on collision, you will have to show that another person was negligent and caused your injuries. If you were headed in the correct direction, and a driver entered your lane of traffic in the opposite direction, the case that the other driver is liable will be fairly clear. Of course, there are situations where the other driver might have made the crash worse by speeding or suffered more severe injuries because he or she was not wearing a seatbelt. In those cases, the victim is not out of luck. The only consequence of the victim’s smaller share of liability or fault will be a reduction in the damages. The other driver is likely to be found far more at fault.

If the other driver was drunk, or if you learn that the other motorist was texting or in violation of another law, you might have an easier time proving that the person was negligent.

Of course, if you were a passenger in either car involved in a head-on collision, you will also likely have a claim against the liable driver. When it comes to injuries to passengers, it is extremely unlikely that the passenger will be partly liable for causing the crash. Again, failing to wear a seatbelt is a fact that might lower damages, but the bulk of the liability will belong to the driver who caused the head-on crash.

Damages Available in Head-on Collision Claims in Tampa, Florida

If you were involved in a head-on collision in Tampa, you might have sustained severe and devastating injuries. Recoverable damages can help with many of the burdens created by that crash. Economic damages include the following:

  • Medical bills
  • Future medical bills
  • Lost income
  • Future lost income
  • Property damage

In a lawsuit, you also have the ability to collect non-economic damages, which include pain and suffering and loss of consortium claims. In some instances, where the wrongful conduct of the liable party was particularly egregious, the victims might be able to collect punitive damages. Punitive damages are not used to compensate a person for their injuries but are designed to punish the people who engaged in extremely wrongful conduct.

Call the Durham Law Group Today for Help After a Head-on Collision in Tampa

At the Durham Law Group, our attorneys will aggressively pursue your claim against a negligent driver. Call us today at 813-333-6250 to learn how we can help you.