San Diego Head-On Collision Lawyer

No words strike fear in a motorist like “head-on collision.” Not only is this type of accident terrifying in the moments before it occurs but the crash force doubles when two moving vehicles collide head-on. Injuries to motorists in a head-on collision are often severe or catastrophic, especially to the driver and front passenger.

Head-on collisions only occur when one driver departs from their lane. This is a preventable accident typically resulting from careless or reckless actions. When another driver’s negligence causes serious injuries in a head-on collision car accident in San Diego, the state’s car accident laws provide legal recourse for the victims to recover compensation.

What Causes Head-On Collisions in San Diego?

California roadways are commonly congested and filled with aggressive drivers. Sadly, car accidents are a daily occurrence in San Diego and the surrounding area. Head-on collisions cause about 14% of traffic fatalities and many catastrophic injuries. Common causes of head-on collisions include the following:

• Distracted driving
• Speeding around curves
• Failing to adjust speed in slippery road conditions
• Entering a one-way street or divided highway in the wrong direction
• Unsafe passing
• Failure to yield the right of way
• Sideswipes that cause a vehicle to slide into oncoming traffic
• Intoxicated driving
• Drowsy driving

When one driver’s actions cause injuries to those in another vehicle, the injury victims may recover compensation for their losses through a car accident claim or a car accident wrongful death claim after a loved one’s fatality.

Injuries and Damages in Head-On Collisions

Injuries from head-on car crashes tend to be severe, especially to motorists in the front seat. Common injuries include traumatic brain injuries, facial injuries, chest injuries, internal organ damage, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, and back and neck injuries. Tragically, some head-on collisions result in a loved one’s wrongful death.

Severe injuries cause financial hardship for victims and their loved ones as well as physical pain and suffering and emotional trauma. Under California’s fault-based insurance laws, injury victims can recover compensation for “damages” in a car accident claim by proving the at-fault driver’s liability for the accident. Common damages in a head-on collision claim include medical expenses, lost income, diminished earning capacity due to disability, pain and suffering, and other non-economic damage that apply in an individual case like disfigurement compensation or loss of pleasure in life due to disability.

How Do Injury Victims Prove Liability After a Head-On Collision?

Under the state’s comparison negligence insurance laws, the injury victim has the burden of proving negligence and liability on the part of the driver responsible for the accident. This often takes an investigation by an experienced attorney who defends victims against common insurance company tactics used to protect their profits at the victim’s expense. An attorney for the injury victim must thoroughly investigate the accident, review the police report and any photographic or video evidence, talk to eyewitnesses, and document evidence of liability. Proving liability requires using evidence to demonstrate that the at-fault driver owed a duty of care to others on the road to take reasonable measures to prevent causing injuries, they breached this duty through an act of negligent or recklessness behind the wheel, their negligence caused the injuries, and the injury victim suffered financial and non-economic damages from the injury.

After documenting compelling evidence of liability for a head-on collision, a skilled San Diego car accident attorney consults with medical experts to carefully calculate your damages to seek the maximum compensation available. Contact Haffner & Morgan, LLP today to schedule your free case evaluation.