New York Head-On Collisions

Head-on collisions are among the most severe types of traffic accidents, often resulting in significant injury or fatality. Understanding the common causes and scenarios leading to these accidents can help in both prevention and legal defense. 

• Distracted Driving: Activities like texting, talking on the phone, or adjusting controls can divert a driver’s attention, causing them to veer into oncoming traffic.
• Impaired Driving: Alcohol and drugs impair judgment and reaction times, increasing the risk of drifting into opposing lanes.
• Fatigue: Tired drivers may fall asleep or struggle to maintain their lane, especially during long drives or late at night.
• Reckless Overtaking: Risky passing maneuvers on two-lane roads can lead to head-on collisions with oncoming vehicles.
• Wrong-Way Driving: Entering highways or one-way streets in the wrong direction often results from confusion or distraction and can be deadly.
• Speeding: High speeds reduce reaction time and control, making it easier to unintentionally cross into opposing lanes.
• Loss of Control: Vehicle malfunctions like brake failure or tire blowouts can cause sudden loss of control and head-on crashes.
• Weather Conditions: Rain, snow, or ice can reduce traction, leading to vehicles sliding into oncoming traffic.
• Blind Curves: On winding roads, drivers may fail to anticipate oncoming traffic around blind curves.
• Failing to Yield: Ignoring traffic signs and right-of-way rules can cause collisions at intersections or merging lanes.
• Medical Emergencies: Health issues such as heart attacks or seizures can incapacitate drivers, leading to loss of control.
• New Drivers: Inexperienced drivers often struggle with lane discipline and predicting other drivers’ actions.
• Road Rage: Aggressive drivers may intentionally drive into oncoming traffic during confrontations.
• Animal Crossings: Swerving to avoid animals can result in head-on collisions with other vehicles.
• Poor Road Conditions: Potholes, uneven surfaces, and inadequate signage can cause drivers to inadvertently cross into opposing lanes.

Injuries sustained in accidents involving head-on collisions are often catastrophic, affecting the victim and their family for many months, years, and even a lifetime. Unfortunately, fatalities are very common in these accidents. Even with the proper use of seat belts and other safety systems, accidents involving head-on collisions can still cause serious damage and injuries, especially if a victim gets ejected from the vehicle or gets pinned inside.

Common injuries include:

• Crushed extremities
• Spinal cord injuries
• Fractures
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Internal bleeding
• Amputation
• Paralysis
• Internal organ damage
• Orthopedic damage to the neck and back
• Wrongful death

At Kucher Law Group, our experienced team works diligently to secure compensation for those who have been harmed in accidents because of the negligence of another driver.

Contact us at (929) 563-6780 to schedule a free consultation.

Establishing negligence is critical when pursuing compensation after accidents. For injured parties, pursue either an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit.

In a case of negligence, there are specific elements that must apply:

• That the other driver owed a duty of care toward the injured party. All drivers owe others on the road a legal duty to operate their vehicles safely to avoid harm.
• The other driver breached that duty. If the other driver operated their vehicle unsafely, it is a breach of their legal duty. This includes any driver who was driving carelessly, while distracted or drowsy, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• The other driver’s actions directly caused the accident and injuries.
• Damages resulted from the accident.

Determining liability in a frontal-impact crash can be complicated. At Kucher Law Group, we can evaluate the scene, vehicle data, and witness accounts, and retain accident-reconstruction professionals and other experts to build a clear record of fault. If you were injured in such a collision, our team can assess your options and guide your next steps.

Once liability is addressed, the focus turns to proving injuries and losses. New York’s no-fault system allows injured people to seek payment for medical expenses, a portion of lost wages, and certain out-of-pocket costs from their own insurer. To pursue pain and suffering and other non-economic damages from an at-fault party, the claimant must meet the “Serious Injury” threshold defined in Article 51 of the New York Insurance Law. In severe cases, injuries often meet this threshold, allowing a lawsuit for full compensation beyond basic no-fault benefits.

After a serious head-on collision, an injured victim may be looking at months, years, and even a lifetime of physical, emotional, and financial issues resulting from their injuries. Consequently, an injury victim can be entitled to monetary compensation from the at-fault party after a devastating head-on collision. 

Compensation can include:

• The costs of the injury, including any costs related to emergency vehicles or airlift transport, hospitalization, surgery, doctor’s fees, therapies, prescription medication, specialized medical equipment, or rehabilitative care
• Any potential future medical costs as they may be related to the injuries
• Lost wages
• Any future loss of earning capacity because of the injuries
• Emotional distress, pain, and suffering
• Wrongful death damages for surviving family members in the case of a fatality
• The costs related to property damage, including the cost to repair or replace vehicles involved in the accident, external property damage, and any personal property inside the vehicles

When you have been injured in a serious head-on collision, you deserve skilled legal assistance to ensure that you get fairly compensated for your damages. Our team at Kucher Law Group  can clarify all avenues of compensation and provide the legal assistance you need to hold negligent parties accountable for your losses.

To schedule a free consultation, contact us today at (929) 563-6780.

Negligence is established by proving a driver failed to use reasonable care and that failure caused the crash. In head-on collisions, evidence such as police reports, scene photos, dash-cam/video, vehicle data (speed/braking), cell-phone records, toxicology results, and eyewitness accounts can show how a specific unsafe act led a vehicle into oncoming traffic.

• Crossing the centerline – A negligent driver can get caught on the wrong side of the centerline and not be able to get back in time, coming into contact with oncoming traffic.
• Improper passing – Impatience and bad timing can get a driver trapped on the wrong side when attempting to pass other traffic.
• Taking curves too fast – The centrifugal force of a car taking a curve at high speed can throw it into the wrong lane during a turn.
• Driving while drowsy – Drivers who continue to drive past the point of safety and fall asleep at the wheel often find themselves veering into oncoming traffic.
• Distracted driving – Drivers who operate their vehicle while they are distracted by other things inside the car are at risk of veering over the center line and causing catastrophic accidents.
• Drunk or drug-impaired driving – An impaired driver can find him or herself veering into oncoming traffic and be unable to correct the course of the vehicle in time.
• Speeding – Speeding drivers risk losing control of their vehicle, often causing serious accidents.

Dealing with insurers after a head-on crash is about leverage: prompt filings, disciplined communication, and airtight documentation. Avoid giving a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer and avoid blanket medical releases, even better, you can have your legal team control what’s shared. Anticipate common tactics and counter with objective proof and clear medical opinions. It is also a wise decision to coordinate your health insurance after PIP is exhausted and manage reimbursement liens so your net recovery isn’t eroded.

When negotiations begin, a strong demand ties specific negligence to your injuries, supported by records and expert input. Kucher Law Group can take over all carrier communications, protect your no-fault benefits, and assemble the evidence and experts needed to properly value your claim. If a settlement can’t be reached, our team can also file suit to pursue full, fair compensation.