There are nearly countless ways a serious car accident can occur. Head-on collisions in which both cars are traveling toward each other are often some of the most severe. Sadly, fatalities and catastrophic injuries are not uncommon in head-on crashes. If you were injured or your loved one was killed in a head-on crash, read on to learn about your legal options under Illinois law.

Personal Injury Claims and Head-On Accidents

When two vehicles are traveling in opposite directions, the force of a collision is magnified. Head-on crashes often cause head, neck, and spine injuries, broken bones, internal damage, and other severe injuries. An individual involved in a head-on crash or frontal crash may never be the same again. Money cannot make up for such a horrific experience, however, it may help the injured person cover accident-related costs and move past the experience.

Sometimes, liability in a head-on crash is straightforward. For example, one driver may have been traveling the wrong direction on the highway due to intoxication by drugs or alcohol while the other driver was an innocent victim. Other times, both drivers’ actions contribute to a head-on crash. In the case of a shared-fault accident, an injured person’s entitlement to monetary damages may be reduced according to his or her share of fault.

Being involved in a car wreck is not only frightening and traumatic, it can also lead to massive financial costs. An individual hurt in a car accident may require expensive medical care that lasts weeks, months, or years. They may also be unable to work during their recovery. Add the cost of repairing or replacing the vehicle involved in the crash, and a car accident can easily cost a family tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you or a loved one were involved in a serious auto collision, you may be entitled to compensation for financial and non-financial losses.   

Factors That Influence a Car Accident Claim Payout

The amount of money that you could recover in a car accident injury claim depends on many different factors, including:

• The severity of the injuries - The worse the injuries, the greater degree of medical care needed to address those injuries. Someone who suffered cuts and bruises will obviously not need as much medical treatment as someone who suffered catastrophic injuries. Therefore, car accident claim payouts are usually higher when the injured person suffers significant injuries or injuries resulting in long-term disability.

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When many people think about the effects of a car accident, they imagine physical injuries such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. While vehicle crashes can certainly result in these types of injuries, they can also lead to severe emotional distress. If you have been struggling with your mental health after a car crash, it is important to speak to a mental health specialist right away.

Common Emotional Injuries That Result from Car Accidents

A vehicle collision is a traumatic event that can cause victims to suffer long-term emotional consequences. Mental health issues that may result from car accidents include:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder - It is not uncommon for car accident victims to experience shock, fear and anger following a vehicle collision. However, these feelings should subside over time. If they do not, post-traumatic stress disorder can develop. Common signs of this condition include recurring thoughts about the accident, trouble sleeping, and uneasiness about riding in vehicles.

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In the blink of an eye, a serious car accident can absolutely devastate a person’s life. Car accident victims not only deal with agonizing injuries, but they are also often left with massive financial stress as well. If you were hurt in an accident, you may be facing steep medical bills and vehicle repair costs as well as the financial burden caused by being out of work. These and other damages may be recoverable through a personal injury lawsuit. Accident reconstruction is often a crucial element of bringing a successful case.

How Can Accident Reconstruction Benefit My Case?

Car accidents are rarely straightforward. The at-fault party or parties may deny responsibility for the crash or even blame the victim for the injuries caused in the collision. Pile-up and multiple-car collisions are often especially confusing. Accident reconstruction is a process of evaluating evidence and data and “reconstructing” the accident scene. An accident reconstructionist may generate reports, models, diagrams, or computer animations that your lawyer can use to explain the accident and demonstrate liability. Accident reconstructionists may also provide expert testimony during a personal injury lawsuit. Statements and evidence from a well-respected, experienced accident reconstructionist will carry significant weight in a complex case.

What Is Involved in Accident Reconstruction?

Accident reconstruction starts with gathering data and evidence. Physical evidence like the position of the vehicles and the location of vehicle debris, guardrail damage, or skid marks are important clues in accident reconstruction. Many modern vehicles are equipped with accident data recorders (ADR) or event data recorders (EDR) that capture information about the force of the impact, the vehicle’s speed, brake application, and other vehicle data. Camera footage and photographs are also crucial pieces of evidence. The accident reconstructionist pieces together these clues to understand how the accident occurred and develop a timeline of events.

The year is not even half over and there have already been 137 fatal crashes in Illinois. Car accidents resulting in serious injury or death are not uncommon in Illinois – especially in populous areas like Cook County and DuPage County. Distracted driving, drunk driving, and other forms of negligent driving are often to blame for these accidents. However, the party who is liable for a car crash is not always another driver. In fact, sometimes the liable party is a municipality or government entity.  

Car Accidents Caused by Poorly Designed Roads

We trust that the government will design and construct roads that reduce the risk of car accidents. After all, this is what our taxes help pay for. Mistakes in the design, construction, or maintenance of roads can cause or contribute to crashes. Inadequate road markings, unsafe shoulders, unreasonably complicated intersections, or dangerous exit ramps may all be examples of poor road design. Insufficient or conflicting road signs and traffic signals may increase the chances of an accident at an intersection. Roadside hazards, hidden obstructions, and unmarked construction zones may also be the fault of a government entity.