A head-on collision occurs when two vehicles going in opposite directions collide front-to-front. While head-on crashes are not all that common, they are some of the most serious car accidents you can be involved in.

Head-on collisions account for only 2 percent of all accidents across the United States but 10 percent of all car accident fatalities. Even at slower speeds, these crashes can be catastrophic and injuries often result.

As a Salt Lake City head-on collision lawyer, we can help those who have been injured in serious car accidents. We encourage you to call our office and discuss your case right away. If the other driver was at fault for your head-on collision, you could be entitled to financial compensation.

 

Causes of Head-On Collisions

As with all car accidents, head-on collisions are typically caused by a handful of reasons.

The most common reasons are driver fatigue or sleepiness, use of a cell phone or other distractions, faulty traffic signal or sign, bad road conditions, and one or more of the drivers being intoxicated.

The exact cause of your head-on collision will affect your case in several ways. Most notably, it will determine who was at fault for the accident, and therefore who is responsible for compensating you.

We will need to determine the cause so that we can prove negligence.

Comparative Negligence

Utah is a comparative negligence state, meaning that in a head-on collision, the judge will look at all the determining factors and then assign a portion of the liability to each of the involved parties.

Any negligence assigned to you will directly reduce your financial award by a percentage.

In a head-on collision, both drivers are typically assigned a portion of the blame. As an example, if you were found to be 20 percent negligent and your award was $20,000, you would actually receive $16,000.

Burden of Proof

In order to show that the other driver is solely or mostly responsible for the head-on collision, the burden of proof lies on the plaintiff, or person filing the lawsuit.

You must also be able to prove the other driver’s fault with facts and evidence:

  • Accident reports
  • Tickets issued by law enforcement
  • Witness testimony
  • Traffic camera footage
  • Expert testimony

Statute of Limitations

Even if you want to try negotiating with the insurance company first, it is still wise to file a lawsuit so that you do not reach the statute of limitations and lose your right to do so.

In Utah, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases is four years. This may sound like plenty of time, but insurance companies and other parties will try to draw the process out as long as possible.

Building a case and negotiating can both take time, so contact a Salt Lake City head-on collision lawyer as soon as possible to begin the process.

Contact A Salt Lake City Head-On Collision Lawyer

You deserve financial compensation for the injuries you suffered in your head-on collision.

To discuss your case and your options in further detail, contact a qualified Salt Lake City head-on collision lawyer at Craig Swapp & Associates by calling 1-800-404-9000 or reaching us online through the form below.