Thousands of vehicle drivers and passengers are severely injured yearly or killed in frontal collisions with negligent drivers.
Most head-on collisions involve one car departing their traffic lane and colliding with oncoming vehicles traveling in the opposite direction.
National and state transportation agencies implement safety measures to prevent these head-on accidents. Even with government regulations, head-on crashes are still among the most severe car accidents involving truckers, motorists, motorcyclists, and passengers.
A Chicago Head-On Collision Attorney Can Help
A Chicago personal injury attorney from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC is ready to assist you or your loved one during all negotiation phases with insurance companies and litigation. Our firm has successfully resolved many frontal auto injury cases in Chicago and is ready to do the same for you.
Contact a car accident lawyer from our Chicago, IL, auto accident law firm at (888) 424-5757 for a free consultation of your legal case. A lawyer will review the police report, speak to eyewitnesses, and investigate your financial compensation claim.
The crash report will include the officer’s opinion of the crash, how the two vehicles traveling in opposite directions collided, and identify the at-fault driver.
Causes of Head-On Collisions
Most catastrophic head-on car crashes occur when drivers become distracted, lose control of their car, or are otherwise impaired. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a head-on collision occurs from many common causes, including:
- Drunk drivers – Alcohol or drug impairment often results in catastrophic Chicago head-on accidents. (DUI Accidents, see here)
- Distracted driving – Cell phones and other electronic devices may distract drivers and cause them to swerve into oncoming traffic when not paying attention or recognizing specific circumstances like a right-of-way mishap or wrong-lane driving. (Texting and distracted driving cases click here)
- Fatigued driving [1] – Falling asleep at the wheel or driving while fatigued results in up to 20% of all serious accidents with serious injury yearly, including head-on car accidents where two cars collide a high speed. (For information on driver fatigue, look here)
- Reckless behavior– Drivers who try to pass vehicles by swerving into oncoming traffic or are speeding and losing control of their auto may lead to catastrophic collisions. (For information on Reckless driving, look here.)
- Road conditions – Inclement weather, objects in the roadway, and lack of road maintenance could allow drivers to leave their travel lanes, leading to head-on accidents.
Determining Fault in Illinois Lane-Crossover Accidents
In almost all injury cases, drivers who leave their lane, cross the center line, and hit other drivers head-on will be liable or at fault for the collision.
The driver who causes the crash will often be cited for a traffic violation. However, the driver doesn’t need to receive a citation for the collision to be held liable for damages, the severe injuries it causes, and compensation to victims.
How to Recover Damages for Head-On Collisions
Determining what caused a head-on crash is not always apparent, especially if no centerline is at the accident scene. If another driver is legally responsible for causing the accident, or if you were riding as a passenger [2] in their vehicle, you may likely recover financial damages from the person driving your vehicle or the other driver.
However, you must negotiate with the driver’s insurance company or file a civil frontal collision lawsuit against that driver’s insurance coverage policy.
Insurance companies are notorious for making quick settlements, minimizing the financial compensation injured victims receive to resolve the case. However, settling too soon could cause significant ramifications if you do not have enough funds to compensate for:
- Past, current, and future accident-related expenses
- Hospitalization costs
- Therapy bills
Were you involved in a catastrophic collision? If so, a reputable Chicago car accident lawyer can help. Your lawyer may investigate the accident scene and vehicle damage to determine what caused or contributed to the crash.
Have you lost a loved one through a wrongful death in a preventable collision? If so, you are likely entitled to file a lawsuit seeking damages for the preventable death. Discuss your case with an experienced lawyer through an initial free case consultation.
Our law firm can provide legal options for proceeding with your insurance claim.
Recovering Damages for Injuries Sustained in Frontal Traffic Accidents
For victims of a frontal collision, recovery can be long and painful if they survive the crash. In 2018, one-tenth of all traffic fatalities were head-on crashes, totaling more than 3,800 separate collisions.
Those who survive often face serious injuries that can be financially, physically, and emotionally challenging.
Front-end collisions can cause the airbag to explode, resulting in catastrophic injuries that take years to heal, increasing the victim’s medical expenses.
Common body, head, and brain injuries in many frontal collisions with significant damage to the passenger compartment include:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) [3]
- Skull fractures
- Face lacerations
- Severed limbs (amputation)
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Fractures and broken bones
- Spinal cord injuries, including severed, bruised, and cut spine injuries
- Fatalities
Our head-on accident attorneys know the impact of being injured in a frontal crash. We are ready to assist you and provide options to file a claim and handle all legal matters against the other driver’s insurance company.
With our legal representation, we will interview witnesses, send the insurer a demand letter for compensation and take any legal action to compensate you for your damages.
Motor Vehicle Accident Cases Involving Preventable Death
Did your loved one die in a collision with a negligent driver in a frontal car crash caused by another driver? Survivors of a loved one killed in a fatal head-on collision caused by someone else’s negligence have the right to file a civil lawsuit against those responsible for the accident.
Our Chicago car accident lawyers can file a wrongful death lawsuit in Chicago Circuit Court or other Illinois courts with jurisdiction.
If we can not secure a settlement to resolve your accident, we are ready to file a head-on collision lawsuit to get you fair compensation at trial under Illinois law.
Head-On Car Accident FAQs
Below are frequently asked questions raised by people injured in head-on accidents. We appreciate that these questions may give rise to others, or you may have specific questions about your situation.
Consequently, we invite you to contact a Chicago car accident lawyer for a free consultation.
Hire a Head-On Collision Lawyer to Resolve Your Compensation Claim
The experienced personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC help head-on crash victims recover financial damages for their medical bills, lost wages, pain, and suffering.
Our team of Chicago crash attorneys understands the law – complex Illinois and local laws – about these types of head-on accidents.
Our personal injury law office will use our extensive knowledge of the legal system and years of experience with insurance company claims. We use this knowledge to secure the best financial compensation outcome in your head-on collision case.
Contact our Chicago head-on collision lawyers for a free legal case review. Call us at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free) or contact us to schedule a free consultation through the contact form. We do not charge a fee unless our accident lawyers can obtain a financial award on your behalf.
Surviving family members could seek compensation if they lost a loved one through others’ reckless actions.
Resources: [1] FMCSA, [2] FMCSA, [3] NIH, [4] NIH, [5] CDC, [6] Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, [7] National Safety Council