Head-on collisions are often considered the most dangerous type of vehicular accidents. This is because in a head-on collision, there is nowhere for the car’s energy to go except into the other car. Compared to a side impact or rear-end accidents, head-on collisions are typically much more serious.
Broken Bones, Bruises and Lacerations
In a head-on collision, it’s common for victims to suffer serious injuries, even if they are wearing their seatbelt. For the driver and front passengers especially, severe injuries to the legs are also possible as a result of a head-on collision.
Severe bruising, ligament damage and scarring may occur as well. All these injuries happen because of the extreme force exerted on your body during the crash. For example, a person properly wearing a seat belt may suffer from internal bruising and even organ damage when the seat belt tightens during the crash. An airbag might save your life, but because of the forces involved, a person may get burns or fractures from the airbag.
Internal Organ Damage
The blunt force during a head-on collision may be enough to cause bruising or other damage to your internal organs. Broken bones can cause organ damage as well. When drivers or passengers are thrown around in a head-on collision, they frequently suffer chest injuries, including broken ribs, which can puncture lungs or other nearby organs. Shoulder injuries from bracing on the steering wheel are common, as are neck and low back injuries from sudden unexpected forces in the collision.
Double Impact Injuries
This occurs when they suffer trauma first during the crash and again when they strike the ground after being thrown from the car. Fortunately, the risk of a double impact and the resulting secondary injuries is greatly reduced by wearing a seat belt.
Concussions
Concussions are one of the most common head-on collision injuries. In a head-on collision, the sudden impact may cause you to hit your head on the steering wheel, the dashboard, or even the windshield. Even if your head hits nothing, the movement of the brain inside the skull in a violent impact can cause a severe concussion. Even if you think you only suffered whiplash, the violent back-and-forth head motion can be enough to cause a concussion.
A concussion can be mild or severe depending on many factors. Mild “Grade 1” concussions are usually short-term and do not result in loss of consciousness. Severe “Grade 3” concussions, on the other hand, may result in long-term brain damage. In the end, closed head injuries, or traumatic brain injuries can vary from minor headaches that quickly resolve, to injuries that remain forever and require extensive treatment to try and retrain damaged parts of the brain.
After an accident, a person may ignore or overlook headaches and other symptoms as the result of a concussion. Confusion and memory loss especially may not be apparent to the person with the concussion. Often these symptoms are first noticed by family, friends or loved ones. Other common head injury symptoms include:
- Blurry vision,
- Dizziness,
- Trouble concentrating,
- Nausea, and
- Trouble sleeping.
Symptoms may not appear until days after the concussion occurs. Thus, it is very important to seek medical care right away so that you can properly diagnose and treat your head injuries.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries a are one of the most common injuries in a car accident. According to the CDC, car accidents are responsible for 18.7% of all brain-injury related deaths. Head injuries are particularly serious because they may not always be immediately apparent. Head injuries may also have more permanent effects. A person who survives a head-on collision with only minor physical injuries may still have a serious head injury. For example, a coup-contrecoup brain injury involves bleeding on both sides of the brain caused by external trauma and the brain’s own movement within the skull.
What to do After a Head-On Collision?
The first thing you should do is seek medical treatment. When possible, you or someone you know should start gathering information. Document the scene and collect records of your medical treatment. Then, hire a Miami accident attorney. The information you collect will help them build your case.
Contact an Accident Attorney Today
At Weinstein & Cohen, we have more than 50 years of combined experience fighting for accident victim’s rights. Vehicle accidents is a specialty practice of ours. Our experienced Miami and Naples accident attorneys at Weinstein & Cohen will put your priorities first. If you or someone you care about has been injured or involved in an accident across South Florida or Southwest Florida, contact the accident lawyers and Miami and Naples personal injury attorneys at Weinstein & Cohen at 305-374-1011 or 239-793-3331, or visit fairnessforall.com for an absolutely free legal consultation to learn more about your options.
