College Park Head-on Collisions Lawyer
Contact Us Today For A Free ConsultationHead-on collisions typically consist of two vehicles that collide head-to-head. They may occur when someone crosses the yellow line into oncoming traffic, or while driving the wrong way down a one-way street. There can be an accident that occurs on the opposite side of the highway that pushes vehicles into traffic coming from the opposite direction causing a collision. Other causes of head-on collisions are when a driver falls asleep, or if they are inattentive and veer into oncoming traffic.
A number of head-on collisions are caused by vehicle operators under the influence of alcohol or drugs and in their impaired condition are not paying attention and/or not in full control of the vehicle, and they veer into the path of oncoming traffic. These types of accidents can happen on any kind of roadway, but usually they occur on roadways that are not separated by medians but are separated by double yellow lines between traffic traveling in opposite directions. However, there are accidents that occur when vehicles traveling at high rates of speed and cross a median into oncoming traffic.
If you have been in a head-on car collision in College Park, it is very important to contact a car accident lawyer as soon as possible to ensure you receive the help you deserve.
Dangers and Possible Injuries
Head-on collisions are extremely dangerous because of the speed with which vehicles are traveling. The very nature of a head-on collision is that vehicles come face-to-face with each other, striking at a very vulnerable part of the vehicle. There is not much of the vehicle at the front end to absorb the collision where it affects the passenger compartment.
Head-on collisions are particularly dangerous when they involve a high rate of speed and often result in fatalities. If there is not a fatality, these collisions usually result in very serious injuries, including broken bones, internal injuries, head injuries, and typically multiple injuries.
How Fault is Assigned
In terms of assigning fault, the conduct of the vehicle driver is important to establish how and why the accident occurred. If a driver crossed the yellow line or crossed into oncoming traffic, that identifies the fault of that driver.
As to why the collision happened, perhaps the at-fault driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Perhaps the driver was inattentive because something dropped and they were reaching down to pick it up off the floor of the car. Perhaps the driver was not paying attention because they were texting or looking at their handheld device. The details of the collision vary in every case, but these are often the reasons a vehicle will collide with another vehicle, especially in head-on collisions.
What Factors Affect Liability
One of the factors that affects liability includes any mechanical difficulty of the vehicle that caused the driver to lose control. Something may have occurred with the brakes or the steering mechanism. Something may have happened with an operating system of the vehicle that caused the driver to be unable to control it to steer away from danger and oncoming traffic.
Also, the conduct of the other vehicle driver is important as to whether they could have avoided the accident in some way. Questions arise as to whether the driver was paying attention, observed the vehicle coming towards them, and whether they acted reasonably. Under the doctrine of contributory negligence, if the other driver contributed to the accident by as little as one percent, they can be barred from recovery.