Head-On Auto Accidents in Jacksonville

Head-on auto accidents are one the most frightening and deadly types of wrecks motorists can be involved in.

As experienced Jacksonville car accident lawyers, we often help severely injured victims of head-on auto accidents or the family members of those who lost their lives.

Head-on collisions are among the worst of all auto accidents. The combined speed of the vehicles produces a devastating impact. These accidents often occur when a driver crosses a center line on a two lane road with no median. A disproportionate number of fatal auto accidents happen in head-on collisions.

The injuries our Jacksonville personal injury lawyers see from head-on auto accidents are more severe because of the abrupt nature of these crashes. The forward motion of two vehicles is so abrupt it creates a massive shock and impact to the occupants of the vehicles. The impact has been compared to hitting a brick wall abruptly at 50 or 60 mph.

With the exception of rollover accidents, head-on collisions are the most deadly kind of wreck on the highways of Florida. On average only 2 percent of crashes are head-on collisions but they account for 10 percent of fatal accidents.

The main causes of head-on accidents our Jacksonville accident lawyers deal with are:

• One car crosses a center line on an undivided highway;
• A wrong-way driver traveling in an incorrect direction;
• Incorrect passing on a two lane road;
• Excess speed and losing control on a curve;
• Drowsy driving;
• Poor vision by a driver at night;
• Incorrect reading of a road sign;
• Drunk or drugged driving.
• Distracted driving causing a vehicle to veer across the road.

Nearly three quarters of head-on accidents occur on undivided rural roads. For example, in 2015, five adults were killed and two children were injured in a head-on collision in Clay County about 30 miles south of Jacksonville.

The two car accident happened on Florida 21 about 30 miles south of Jacksonville near Green Cove Springs. Police said a Toyota Camry crossed a center line and hit a vehicle heading the opposite direction. Both drivers died in the impact as well as three other adults. Loss of life is not uncommon in crashes of this nature.

Tragic crashes illustrate the deadly nature of head-on auto accidents in Jacksonville and elsewhere in Florida.

Drivers have less time to react during head-on collisions. According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, almost one in five fatal auto accidents involve head-on collisions.

Very few of these accidents were a result of risky passing. Of 7,430 vehicles involved in head-on crashes on two-lane, undivided roadway segments researched in the study just 4.2 percent involved a vehicle “passing or overtaking another vehicle.” Most of these wrecks were caused by one driver losing control of his or her car and crossing a center line.

Wrong way car accidents occur far more often than many drivers think. In 2015, there were 1490 wrong way crashes in Florida alone – more than four every day.

The serious nature of these wrecks is illustrated by the 96 fatalities and 1,454 injuries that resulted from the 1,490 wrong way crashes that year. In more than two-thirds of wrong way car accidents, the driver was either injured or killed.

There are few things more terrifying than a car, truck, bus, or motorcycle heading toward you. Wrong way drivers are often drunk, drugged or distracted. You have little time to react.

Although we can never completely safeguard ourselves from head-on collisions, some precautions can be taken.

1. Stay centered in your lane. Oncoming traffic is less likely to hit you if you remain in the middle of a lane.
2. Use the right lane. On multi-lane highways the right lane is the safest place to travel.
3. Avoid night driving. More head-on accidents occur at night. Travel in the daylight, if possible.
4. Don’t speed on rural roads. Control your speed. Take your foot off the gas when approaching a curve where another driver may cross a center line.
5. Always wear a seatbelt.
6. Drive defensively. Anticipate vehicles on the road ahead of you.

It takes many months and even years to recover from a serious auto accident in Florida. The Jacksonville injury attorneys at The Lawrence Law Group can ensure that your financial burden is eased and hold the negligent party responsible after a head-on accident. Our firm represents injured people and their families throughout Duval, Clay, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Baker, Brevard, Union, Columbia, Hamilton, Jefferson, Suwannee, Volusia, and Alachua Counties of Florida. If you have been hurt in a head-on accident, contact us online or call us at (904) 632-0077 to schedule a free consultation with a motor vehicle crash lawyer.