Head-on collisions are among the most catastrophic types of motor vehicle crashes. The combined closing speed of two vehicles meeting head-on means the forces involved are typically far higher than in any other crash configuration. Our firm represents head-on collision victims and their families across Pennsylvania.
How Head-On Crashes Happen
Head-on collisions almost always involve a driver crossing the center line of an undivided road or a wrong-way driver on a divided highway or ramp. The most common causes:
- Drunk or drug-impaired driving — wrong-way crashes on highway entrance/exit ramps are statistically associated with intoxicated drivers
- Distracted driving — texting or phone use leading to drift across the center line
- Fatigue and falling asleep at the wheel
- Medical emergencies at the wheel (stroke, heart attack, seizure)
- Improper passing on a two-lane road
- Aggressive driving and road rage
- Defective road design — inadequate signage, poor markings, missing center barriers on high-speed divided roads
Determining fault in a head-on crash requires reconstruction. The point of impact, debris pattern, skid marks (or lack of them indicating no braking), and event-data-recorder data from each vehicle all matter. We engage accident-reconstruction experts on serious head-on cases.
Catastrophic Injuries
The forces in a head-on crash routinely cause catastrophic and fatal injuries:
- Traumatic brain injury — including severe TBI with prolonged unconsciousness, diffuse axonal injury, and skull fracture
- Spinal cord injury — paraplegia and quadriplegia from cervical, thoracic, or lumbar damage
- Multiple long-bone fractures — femur, tibia, fibula, humerus — often requiring surgical fixation and months of rehabilitation
- Pelvic fractures — high mortality rate, complex surgical management
- Internal organ injuries — splenic rupture, liver laceration, lung contusion, aortic injury
- Facial fractures and dental trauma from steering-wheel and dashboard contact
- Burns from post-collision fire
- Wrongful death
Damages in Catastrophic Cases
Damages in serious head-on collisions include:
- Past and future medical expenses — life-care plans for catastrophic injury can run into millions of dollars
- Past and future lost wages and lost earning capacity
- Pain and suffering, disfigurement, and loss of life’s pleasures
- Loss of consortium for spouses
- Wrongful-death damages for surviving family members under PA’s Wrongful Death and Survival Acts
- Punitive damages where the at-fault driver’s conduct was reckless (drunk driving, extreme speeding, road rage)
Who Pays?
The first source of recovery is the at-fault driver’s liability insurance. Pennsylvania requires only $15,000 per person / $30,000 per accident — wholly inadequate for catastrophic injury. We always investigate additional sources:
- Underinsured Motorist (UIM) coverage on your own auto policy
- Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage if the at-fault driver had no insurance
- Stacked UIM/UM if you have multiple vehicles on the policy
- Umbrella policies
- Employer liability if the at-fault driver was on the job
- Dram-shop liability against bars or restaurants that over-served an intoxicated at-fault driver
- Government liability for defective road design or maintenance
Statute of Limitations
Two years from the date of the crash for personal injury under Pennsylvania law. Wrongful-death claims also follow the 2-year limit. Government-defendant cases have shorter notice deadlines.
Free Case Evaluation
If you or a family member has been injured or killed in a head-on collision in Pennsylvania, contact our office for a free, confidential evaluation. There is no cost to discuss your potential claim, and there is no fee unless we recover compensation.