Car accidents of every kind are terrifying, dangerous events, but when it’s a head-on collision, the level of terror and danger are escalated. In a head-on collision, the negligent motorist is likely to be highly impaired, either by personal choices or as a result of a medical condition. If you or someone you love has been injured or worse by a negligent driver in a front-end accident in South Windsor, don’t wait to consult with an experienced car accident attorney in your area.
According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), head-on collisions are exactly as dangerous as they seem. In fact, in 2019, they accounted for 3,613 traffic fatalities nationally, which translates to nearly 11 percent of all traffic fatalities and is second only to angle collisions.
Further, III research data shows when vehicles traveling at 56 miles per hour collide head-on, crash dummies come away with any combination of the following serious injuries:
You can expect head-on collision injuries to be serious in most situations, and might include the following:
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), because they affect the brain, are difficult to predict – other than the fact that they are often extremely serious. Victims of TBIs often face uncertain futures compromised by lasting and/or chronic physical and emotional deficits. Common conditions include:
Because the neck is central to overall movement, even a relatively minor injury can be especially painful, lead to chronic pain, and seriously limit a victim’s range of motion. If the injury is serious – such as a spinal cord injury – the consequences are much more serious. If the spinal cord is severed or badly damaged, it means permanent paralysis and a lifetime of medical and personal care.
Broken bones and fractures are seriously painful injuries that are slow to heal. Complicated breaks, it can lead to permanent health issues, physical disability, and chronic pain. Some people require multiple surgeries and may suffer permanent limitations following a broken bone.
Regardless of how the accident happened or what sort of injuries it caused, virtually every successful personal injury claim over a front-end car accident in South Windsor is built around the legal theory of negligence. In a nutshell, a driver is “negligent”—and can be held financially liable for damages—if they “breach” the “duty of care” all drivers owe each other by acting in a reckless, careless, or illegal way, and that “breach of duty” then directly leads to a collision which likely would not have otherwise happened.
Negligent behavior, which may lead to a head-on crash, can be as obvious as a drunk driver going the wrong way down the interstate or as seemingly innocuous as a driver on a two-lane road getting distracted for just a moment and drifting slightly out of their lane. Either way, the fact that a specific irresponsible act was the direct cause of a collision would likely be enough for the driver to be held liable for losses caused by that wreck.
However, an injured person filing suit over this type of accident can also be found “negligent” if they too did something irresponsible that contributed to causing the crash that injured them. In this scenario, a civil court could assign a percentage of “comparative fault” to the injured person and, in accordance with Connecticut General Statutes § 52-572h, proportionately reduce the total compensation they can recover or bar them from recovery altogether.
Assuming there are no issues with comparative negligence, a motorist who is injured in a front-end car accident who can establish that someone else is to blame for the wreck can pursue compensation for the full value of all their crash-related losses. This includes both economic and non-economic forms of harm, including:
The court may impose additional “punitive damages” against someone found to have shown a “reckless indifference” to the wellbeing of others through their negligent or intentional act. However, this is a rare outcome.
Even if a head-on collision in South Windsor causes permanent and debilitating injuries, the person dealing with those injuries still has a limited amount of time after sustaining them to file suit. Most of the time, the filing period for cases of this nature is two years in length, as established under C.G.S. § 52-584.
There are some exceptions to this rule in extremely specific circumstances, but in general, failing to file suit within two years of an accident will lead to the court throwing out any case based on injuries sustained in that accident. Support from expert legal counsel can be absolutely vital to building a strong and comprehensive claim within this strict time limit.
If you’ve been injured by another driver’s negligence in a front-end accident in South Windsor, your life can change in an instant. Local car accident attorneys at Berman & Russo are fully committed to helping you obtain the compensation you deserve to reach your most complete recovery. With more than 30 years of impressive experience backing us, we have the legal insight and drive you are looking for, so please don’t wait to contact us online or call us to schedule a free consultation and learn more today.
South Windsor Personal Injury Lawyer | Auto Collision Attorneys
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