Head-On Collisions: What You Need To Know

Head-on collisions happen for numerous reasons. At times, “wrong-way drivers” cause them. As the term implies, a driver heads the wrong way on a road. Oftentimes, this a case of a drunk driver heading the wrong way down a one-way street. 

However, it also applies to drivers heading the wrong way up an exit ramp and onto the wrong side of a freeway.  

Typically, these drivers react by overcorrecting. For instance, let’s look at an example of students driving back to Houston from university. As they drive down an undivided highway, the driver looks at a map on their phone and swerves out of their lane. Once they realize their mistake, they overcorrect as they navigate back to their lane, again overcorrecting. 

Unfortunately, they crossed the median and entered the other side of the highway. There, they collided head-on with a commercial truck traveling the right way. 

This type of accident is deadly. 

Often, these collisions result in one or more fatalities among those involved. Unfortunately, a head-on collision or front-end collision more likely to result in a fatality. 

A head-on collision is when two vehicles traveling opposite directions collide into each other’s front ends. It is also known as a front-end collision. Like a rear-end accident, these head-on crashes are easy to identify by the severe damage to the front end of the vehicles.

The amount of damage often depends on the speed of both motor vehicles and how they crash. For instance, a sideswipe collision occurs when two cars travel in opposite directions but don’t crash head-on. Typically, one driver swerves at the last second, causing the vehicles to scrape sides. These differ from front-end crashes in that the damage tends to remain on the sides that touch. Oftentimes, they are far less severe than a direct, head-on crash.

Head-on collisions occur anywhere on the road. However, they are particularly common out on rural roads. Typically, this is due to their narrow lanes, poor lighting, and lack of guardrails or lane dividers. 

Whether a front-end crash occurs on a neighborhood street, highway, or rural road, there are plenty of causes. At the root of these deadly accidents is often negligence on one driver’s part. 

• Drunk driving
• Defective roads
• Dangerous roads 
• Distracted driving (such as texting and driving)
• Bad weather conditions
• Fatigue and drowsy driving
• Unsafe passing on highways
• Hazardous construction zone setups
• Senior drivers

Regardless of the specific cause, when negligence is at the core, you have rights. When someone else’s lack of responsibility leads to your injury, you have the right to seek compensation. 

As Houston personal injury lawyers, we help people hold the liable accountable. These accidents change lives forever. Let us fight for the compensation you deserve as you fight for your future. 

Even when you take normal safety precautions while driving, a head-on collision often results in catastrophic and severe injuries. Common injuries from front-end collisions include the following. 

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Neck, back, spine damage
• Amputation
• Disfigurement 
• Concussions 
• Broken bones and fractures 
• Whiplash 
• Lacerations 
• Organ damage 
• Bruising across the abdomen 
• Internal bleeding 
• Damage to the chest and ribcage 
• Crushed legs and feet

The worst potential injury from car wrecks is wrongful death. Unfortunately, the loss of a loved one is quite common in these accidents. 

When you don’t wear a seatbelt, the danger of fatalities in head-on collisions increases greatly. Without these basic safety precautions, drivers and passengers both risk additional injuries as they open themselves to ejection from the vehicle upon impact.