Houston Head-On Collision Attorney

You need to consider hiring the services of Houston head-on collision attorney if you’ve been injured by a negligent driver. There is no head-on collision accident that’s similar to another, and most of them tend to be very complicated, especially when it comes to making a claim. As a victim, ensuring that you get fully compensated for your damages is critical. While no amount of monetary compensation can ever return you to the state you were in before the accident, getting paid for your injuries and suffering will make your journey towards physical and emotional recovery much more manageable.

We, at Gomel & Associates, work tirelessly to ensure the rights of head-on collision accident victims are protected. If you’ve sustained severe injuries, chances are you have lots of questions about where to start and what you need to do next. It is worth noting that we offer FREE consultation on all cases, so give us a call now for legal advice and help. Alternatively, you can use our chat service or online case form to get more information or ask us a question. The great thing about working with us is that we don’t charge an upfront fee. You pay us nothing until we have actually won the case.

Our experienced team of car accident lawyers is made up of legal professionals who’ve battled it out with insurance companies for years. We know how they do things and the game they play and are quite adept at turning-the-tables on them. If you have suffered injuries due to another driver’s negligence, then we are the people to call – we are here to help.

Head-On Collisions: An Overview

A head-on collision is when two cars traveling in opposite directions smash into each other head-on. While a majority of these accidents happen at very high speeds, it is worth noting that they can happen anywhere and at virtually any speed. It is the force associated with most head-on collisions that make them especially dangerous. Although the impact of a head-on collision effectively stops the ‘forward motion’ of both vehicles, the occupants in the vehicles continue traveling forward due to inertia crashing into airbags, windshields, steering wheels, or dashboards, often sustaining serious injuries.

Also, since the front ends of both vehicles rarely crash into each other perfectly head-on, the impact may end up sending one or both vehicles flipping or spinning, exacerbating the injuries the occupants suffer. This also creates even more dangerous situations on the road for other road users as the vehicles may end up in the path of other vehicles.

At the same time, such an impact could cause the airbags inside either vehicle to fail to protect occupants in the vehicles, especially if the side airbags failed to deploy. Moreover, the intensity of the force could cause metal, glass, and plastic pieces within the cars to become flying weapons that could cause serious or fatal injuries as the accident happens. It is hard to overstate how deadly head-on collision accidents are!

What are Some of the Most Common Injuries Experienced During Head-On Collisions?

Since modern cars now have advanced safety features and mechanisms, including airbags and what is known as crumple zones in the hood (designed to absorb most of the energy created by head-on impacts and airbags), head-on collisions are now less likely to cause serious facial and head injuries. Nevertheless, these injuries still remain to be a serious threat. While most head-on collisions lead to a variety of injuries, there are a couple of serious injuries that are associated with them. These injuries include:

Neck Injuries

While most people think that neck injuries like whiplash are mostly caused by rear-end accidents, most of them are also quite common with head-on collisions. Even though whiplash gets a bad rep as a faked or exaggerated injury, related injuries could produce severe pains and heal rather slowly. There’s nothing funny about whiplash injuries.

Torso Injuries

Torso injuries are also quite common during head-on collisions with injuries, including fractured ribs, which can lead to lung, spleen, liver, or intestine damage. It is worth noting that some of these injuries, which are internal in nature, can go undetected and, therefore, undiagnosed, which allows them to progress into far more severe health issues.

Femur and Lower Leg Injuries

Even when the occupants of the vehicles belt themselves in and the airbags deploy properly, the intensity of the impact could hurl the passengers at the front into the knee bolsters and instrument panel, causing serious injuries to their lower extremities.

Secondary injuries

Head-on collision impacts tend to be so intense that they often lead to overarching health issues, which often include severe secondary injuries. These injuries tend to evolve from the original injuries and may include infections.

Considering how front-end crashes are, make sure you seek medical attention immediately, even if you do not think you were gravely injured. Some injuries, such as internal injuries and whiplash, have a way of getting worse as time passes. Prolonging your treatment could exacerbate the condition. Keep this in mind – early diagnosis is crucial for both your legal case and health.

What Are Some of the Things that Cause Head-On Collisions?

According to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) data, several variables frequently contribute to these crashes:

• Drivers who fail to moderate their speed with road conditions, including damaged roadways, road construction, and inclement weather
• Drivers who exceed the set speed limits (speed closely correlated with head-on impacts)
• Drivers who drive while exhausted
• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Drivers who are distracted or interacting with their phones while driving
• Drivers failing to compensate their unfamiliarity of a road they are traveling adequately
• Aggressive driver – and those who let their aggression morph into road rage
• Negligent and reckless drivers, including those who contravene the rules of the road

Once you are sat behind the wheel, you assume a huge responsibility. Driving is extremely complex and is a task that requires you, the driver, to pay full attention to the road while adhering to the rules of the road. A driver who fails to meet his or her responsibilities as a road user endangers the lives of other road users. Every time you head out on to the busy streets of Houston, safety should be your first priority!

The Connection Between Absent-Minded Driving and Head-On Collisions

Distracted driving has, in recent days, become something of a concern that it’s forced the federal government to devote an entire website to address the issue. Whenever a driver is not focused on the one task they should be doing, which is driving safely, he or she is engaged in distracted driving.

Distracted driving is divided into three primary categories:

• Cognitive distractions – things that engage the driver’s thoughts
• Manual distractions – things that engage the driver’s hands
• Visual distractions – things that engage the driver’s vision

The ascent of the smartphone as a necessity in our everyday lives as a society has considerably increased distracted driving to levels never seen before. These small, handheld devices somehow manage to incorporate all three distraction classifications into a single, extremely-dangerous activity, making them the pinnacle of all distractions. Driving is not a time to interact with your phone, especially when there are lives at stake.

What are Some of the Damages Victims Can Seek Through a Head-On Accident Claim?

While no accident claim is similar to another, calculating all of your damages is critical to the fair and successful resolution of your accident claim. Serious car accidents such as head-on collisions are generally complex and extensive, which makes it hard to estimate the damages appropriately. A professional and experienced car crash lawyer can help you by ensuring that your claim for compensation well represents your losses.

Apparent, extensive, and measurable damages like medical expenses, in some instances, include:

• Transportation from the crash scene by an emergency response team
• On-site emergency care
• Surgery and aftercare
• Treatments, appointments, and care with therapists, doctors, and specialists
• Ongoing care and treatment
• Prescription medication
• Physical therapy
• Adaptive medical devices and home adaptations
• Home healthcare

Apart from medical care, you might also lose wages because of the time spent away from work. At the same time, if you sustained catastrophic or severe injuries, your future earning potential might end up being affected. Beyond the inherent financial losses such a career downturn brings, some people even lose their sense of self-worth, leading to mental issues like depression and stress.

The damages caused by head-on collisions are quite hard to overstate. If you have been involved in a head-on collision, make sure your attorney considers the trauma, suffering, and pain associated with such accidents. Head-on crashes are often financially, physically, and emotionally devastating. As a victim, your right to get rightfully compensated matters. Consult a professional Houston car crash lawyer today to learn more about your rights.

Should I Call My Insurance Company Immediately After the Accident?

Almost all drivers on the road carry one form of car insurance or the other in compliance with the law, and for the sake of covering themselves in the event, they ever get involved in an accident. While having insurance is good, that does not mean that you rest easy and let the insurer take care of your claim.

While you are obligated to have car insurance and insurers are bound by industry standards and federal regulations, it is worth keeping in mind that insurance companies are businesses that are out to be profitable. As businesses, they’ll do everything they can to minimize the costs of all payouts, and that includes yours. Well, the truth of the matter is that your ‘just’ compensation is very far from your insurer’s top priority.

If you got injured in a head-on car accident caused by another driver’s negligence, your insurer is going to try and contact you by any means necessary so they can close out the case as soon as they can – which often means paying out as little money as possible. As such, prepare for such an eventuality.

Your insurance company isn’t your friend. Furthermore, you are not required to provide the other driver’s insurer with a statement concerning the accident. As a victim, it is in your interest and that of your claim, not to! Insurance representatives are very good at extracting information from accident victims and then using the same words to diminish or deny their claims.

While you might be required to provide your insurer a copy of the statement, a devoted accident attorney can coach you on how to handle the entire process. However, to get this sort of guidance, you will first need to hire the services of a skilled lawyer – someone you can trust to handle all of your communications with claims adjusters.

Get A Free Consultation With A Houston Head-On Collision Attorney

Were you recently involved in a head-on collision? Is it the accident the other driver’s fault? Call Gomel & Associates and speak with one of our Houston Car Accident Attorneys for advice and representation.

The attorneys at Gomel & Associates are here for you. Our team of Houston personal injury lawyers experts offers free case reviews, which we use to evaluate how strong your case is and how we will move forward towards getting you compensated for your injuries and sufferings. Give us a call today for your complimentary consultation and evaluation.