Disaster lurks when a driver leaves his or her lane of travel and crosses over a median or yellow line into oncoming traffic. In the physical world, the vehicle going faster at the point of head-on impact will deliver the force of the blow into the other car. Most often, the person injured or killed in a head-on crash is the person who was driving correctly but took evasive action to avoid a crash by slowing down and turning. Those unfortunate people were doing nothing wrong. Instead, they were driving in their lane and ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Meanwhile, the operator of the car which left the proper lane of travel may be less seriously injured. That scenario is a cruel twist of fate but one that occurs all-too-often.

Georgia head-on collision law firm Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law has seen the carnage caused by a driver who left his or her lane and slammed head-on into an oncoming car. Georgia head-on crashes kill and injure countless people in Georgia each year. If a head-on crash caused by a person who crossed a median or yellow line in Georgia altered your life, you might be eligible to collect substantial financial compensation for your losses.

Reasons Why People Cross Median or Yellow Line

There are a plethora of reasons why someone might lose control over his or her car, leave their lane, and drive into an oncoming vehicle. Some of the most common causes of head-on wrecks in Georgia are:

  • Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol,
  • Engaging in distracting behaviors like texting while driving,
  • Fatigued driving,
  • Vehicle malfunction,
  • Oversteering from evasive action to avoid collision with another vehicle, pedestrian, or another object, or
  • Sudden onset of illness or loss of consciousness.

Vehicles equipped with lane departure warning signals and auto-steering might have a chance to avoid head-on collisions after driving across a median or double yellow line. Until then, the vehicle that leaves its lane will most likely suffer less damage than the vehicle headed in the opposite direction.

Possible Injuries in Head-On Collision

Head-on crashes are deadly. According to the Office of Governor’s Highway Safety in Georgia, 760 people died (out of 1,430) in 2015 in auto collisions because a vehicle left its proper lane of travel. Indeed hundreds more people were severely injured in head-on crashes in Georgia.

If a person is fortunate enough to survive a head-on crash, they most likely will suffer grievous injuries. Potential injuries from a head-on collision are:

  • Broken bones, especially crush injuries to the face, arms, hands legs, and feet,
  • Spinal cord injuries, including paralysis,
  • Amputations,
  • Severe head trauma,
  • Neck injuries like broken vertebrae as well as muscle, tendon, and ligament damage like whiplash,
  • Internal injuries and internal bleeding,
  • Cardiac problems including a ruptured aorta,
  • Deep cuts from broken glass resulting in scarring,
  • Dental injuries,
  • Burns from car fires, and
  • Catastrophic disfigurement from striking the steering wheel, dashboard, or another blunt object in the car.

Our attorneys fight hard on behalf of each injured client in order to maximize the value of their cases under the law. If you have been injured in any accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be eligible to recover medical expenses, lost wages, Pain and Suffering, and more.

Sources:

https://injury.findlaw.com/car-accidents/types-of-car-accident-injuries.html

https://www.gahighwaysafety.org/research/collision-statistics/

https://statelaws.findlaw.com/georgia-law/georgia-negligence-laws.html