At about 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, part of Evergreen Way in Everett was shut down during the morning commute as two drivers were involved in a head-on collision. Both drivers had to be extricated from the severely damaged vehicles by emergency personnel and were transported to local hospitals with serious injuries.
Fortunately for these two drivers, no one was killed. However, far too often, these types of head-on crashes result in fatal injuries.
A head-on collision occurs when the front end of two different vehicles, traveling in opposite directions, collide with each other on the roadway. This usually occurs because of one of the drivers crossing the center line and entering the on-coming lane of travel. While any type of car crash can cause significant injuries, head-on collisions have one of the highest occurrences of fatal injuries than almost any other type of car crash.
In 2020, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that 13,845 (58%) of all vehicle occupants involved in frontal impact collisions died.
Further, information published by the Insurance Information Institute (III) shows that there were more than 38,824 traffic deaths in the U.S. in 2020 (560 traffic deaths occurred in Washington state alone). Of those deaths, 3,631 were caused by head-on collisions, accounting for 10.2% of all fatal crashes. Head-on collisions were the second highest cause of fatal traffic injuries trailing only angle collisions which accounted for 18% of total traffic deaths.
Causes of head-on collision are usually related to some type of distracted driving, including the following:
1. Drunk or impaired driving
2. Talking or texting while driver
3. Drowsy driving
4. Talking to passengers
5. Adjusting radio, GPS, or climate controls
6. Reaching for an object
7. Unsafe passing
The best way to avoid a head-on collision is to stay alert. Don’t drive while tired and limit any distractions within the vehicle. Pull over to a safe spot and stop your car if you must do anything that will take your attention away from the road and safely controlling your car. While sometimes accidents do happen, may fatal injuries caused by head-on collisions could be avoided by a little diligence on behalf of drivers.
Often when a head-on crash occurs, it can take days or weeks to determine exactly what happened or who is liable. When two vehicles collide head-on, the vehicles are often pushed around the roadway, and it can be difficult to determine which vehicle crossed into the on-coming lane of travel causing the collision. Lloyd Injury Law’s experienced car crash injury lawyer can help you gather and preserve important evidence that will be necessary for you to prove negligence on behalf of the other driver and win your case. If you or a loved one have been injured because of another’s negligence, contact us for a FREE case evaluation. Our attorney is available to answer your questions and help you navigate the complex insurance claim process.