Any kind of car accident has the potential to be dangerous, resulting in serious injuries to those involved. Head-on collisions, however, tend to be some of the most traumatic types of vehicle crashes. In these cases, the force of the impact can cause significant damage to the vehicles and serious or fatal injuries to drivers and passengers. Pursuing compensation after a head-on collision is usually fairly straightforward because of the nature of the accident. However, an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you make sure you are fully compensated for your damages. 

Causes of Head-On Crashes

Car accidents can vary in severity, and they can occur for a variety of reasons. However, head-on collisions are usually very serious, and they often occur because of driver negligence. Some forms of negligence that can lead to head-on crashes include:

• Impaired driving: Those who are driving while they are under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol are not driving with a clear head. Often, their judgment is skewed, and they do not make the best decisions. They may stray out of their lane and into oncoming traffic, or they may commit other errors that lead them to collide with other vehicles at high speeds, resulting in serious injuries.

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Getting into a car accident can be stressful for many reasons. In some situations, the crash may have been so severe that you sustained serious injuries that require medical care. Medical treatment is not free -- it comes at a cost. Who is responsible for taking care of these expensive bills after a vehicle collision? If you can prove that the other driver was responsible for causing the accident, he or she might be held liable for covering the costs of your medical care, the damage to your vehicle, and any other physical or financial harm you have experienced. However, even if the other driver is ultimately liable for your medical treatment and auto repairs, that does not mean the process of claiming this compensation will be simple. That is why it is essential to seek professional legal counsel to protect your rights for seeking damages. 

Seeking Medical Care After Your Accident

Receiving compensation after your auto accident is not a speedy process. A case can take months to settle, which is why you should not wait to get medical care for your injuries. In some cases, waiting to treat your injuries could severely damage your health and cause more issues down the road. You may have to file a claim under your own medical insurance or auto insurance policies and make any applicable copays in the meantime. 

Although there are many prevention programs that aim to reduce the likelihood of car accidents, these tragedies still take place every day. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 6.7 million police-reported traffic crashes in the United States in 2018. In those crashes, more than 2.7 million people were injured, and more than 36,000 were killed. Agencies such as NHTSA have made strides in determining the causes behind car accidents and the different methods that can be used to prevent them from happening altogether.

Crash-Related Factors

Even though a car accident can occur at any time and for many different reasons, there are certain actions that can increase the likelihood of an automobile crash taking place. Listed below are a few common things that have been found to cause a fender bender:

• Driving under the influence: One of the most notorious causes of a car accident is when a driver operates his or her vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The NHTSA estimates that more than 10,000 people died in alcohol-related accidents in 2018, and that alcohol-related car accident deaths accounted for nearly 30 percent of all accident fatalities. Even when a drunk driving accident does not result in a wrongful death, it can cause serious injuries and property damage.

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You are sitting in your car on the way home from work. The traffic is terrible today, and you are crawling along at a snail’s pace. You stop for what seems like the hundredth time in the past five minutes and take a deep breath. Suddenly, the car behind slams into you, sending your head flying forward, only to snap backward and then upright again -- a classic case of whiplash. According to Harvard Health Publishing, more than one million Americans experience whiplash injuries each year. Although whiplash is thought to be one of the less serious types of car accident injuries, it can cause a person to experience immense pain and discomfort.

What Is Whiplash?

Whiplash is a common neck injury that occurs when your head is suddenly and forcefully thrown forward and then backward. When the neck extends past its normal range of motion, which it usually does during a whiplash injury, the bones, discs, nerves, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage that are located in the neck can become damaged or strained. The most common way whiplash occurs is during car accidents, although you can sustain a whiplash injury from other activities, such as contact sports, physical abuse, being hit in the head, or even a hard fall.

Symptoms of Whiplash

A person may not always immediately experience the effects of whiplash injuries. Sometimes, it can take up to 24 hours for injuries to fully develop and symptoms to appear. Some of the most common symptoms of whiplash include:

If you have ever traveled on any of America’s highways, you have probably noticed how many large trucks drive on the road each day. According to the American Trucking Association (ATA), there were 36 million large trucks registered and used for business purposes in 2017. When large trucks are involved in motor vehicle collisions, the results can often be catastrophic, especially when other vehicles are involved. Large trucks can weigh tens of thousands of pounds, compared to the average passenger vehicle which typically weighs about 5,000 pounds. Due to this disparity, truck accidents are likely to result in serious injuries to the occupants of other cars. Even though the causes of truck accidents can vary, the following are a few examples of who could be held liable for injuries sustained in a truck accident:

The Truck Driver

One of the most common parties to be held liable for a trucking accident is one of the most obvious -- the truck driver. The motorist is the person who is in actual physical control of the vehicle, so everything that he or she does can contribute to whether or not an accident occurs. For example, a truck driver who speeds, drives while distracted, violates traffic laws, or drives while drowsy or under the influence of drugs or alcohol may be held responsible for his or her actions.

The Trucking Company

In certain cases, the business that employs a truck driver can also be held liable for an accident. The trucking company has a responsibility to ensure that their drivers have the proper licensure and training in order to operate a large truck. They are also responsible for ensuring the driver is following rules set forth by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). If the trucking company is found to have encouraged or forced a driver to break those rules, they could be held responsible for a collision.