Do you feel as if your injuries have impacted your life significantly? If you have been injured in a car accident, you may have missed time at work and incurred significant medical bills. When you are in an accident caused by another driver’s carelessness, it can be frustrating. However, with a Baltimore personal injury attorney by your side, your mind can be at ease. We will ensure that you receive all that you deserve to compensate you for your injuries and lost wages.
Head-On Collisions are Serious in Maryland
Head- on collisions, also known as front collisions, is often viewed as one of the worst types of car accidents to be involved in. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, frontal impacts accounted for 54 percent of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in 2015. Additionally, frontal impacts accounted for 14 driver deaths per million registered passenger vehicles in multiple-vehicle crashes in 2015 compared with 5 deaths per million in side impacts and 1 death per million in rear impacts.
So, how do such deadly accidents occur? For the majority of head-on collisions, the cause is due to one vehicle crossing the center line and striking another vehicle moving in the other direction. When determining liability for these types of accidents, for most of the cases the car that crossed the center line is the driver who is at fault. However, Maryland law follows contributory negligence. This means that even if you were one percent at fault for the accident, you will not be able to recover.
What does this mean? it means that the insurance company may deny culpability. But do not let this scare you out of pursuing a case for your injuries. An experienced Baltimore personal injury attorney can help explore liability and your options.
Steps to Take After a Head-On Car Accident in Maryland
After you have been in a serious accident, it is important to take care of yourself. Immediately following the accident, you should call 911 to make a report of the accident and to receive any medical treatment that you may need. Once the proper authorities have been called, be sure to gather the pertinent information from all parties involved. This information will include name and insurance of the other parties. You should also take pictures of your car, the other cars involved and the scene of where it happened. the most important thing to keep in mind when doing all of this is to ensure you are in a safe area and out of the way of traffic.
Once the police arrive and you have gone to the hospital, if necessary, now it is time to think about what can be done to rectify all the damages. When involved in a head-on collision it is likely you will be injured and will need some time off from work to recover or deal with the insurance agents. You shouldn’t settle for the first offer that the insurance companies offer you. In fact, before you talk to any insurance companies you should talk to an attorney. Having an attorney by your side will help to protect your rights. An attorney will work to make sure all of your evidence is preserved and you are prepared before you provide a statement.
Common Injuries
Injuries will vary from person to person and accident to accident. However, there are some basic ones that are likely to occur no matter the circumstances.
Head injuries
There are many types of head injuries such as concussions and skull fractures. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that can result in either short-term or long-term memory loss. A skull fracture is a break in the cranial bone and can have a variety of symptoms such as swelling and bleeding. Head injuries can be life-threatening and the symptoms can stay around for a while.
Broken bones
You can break bones doing everyday activities. However, when you get a broken bone from a car accident you deserve to be compensated. You can break a number of bones including wrist, arms, ribs and even legs depending on how your car is impacted. As you probably know, broken bones can take weeks or months to heal and can impact your everyday activities.
Airbag injuries
Airbags help to cushion the blow, but with the speed that it ejects it can cause some injuries. Just some of the injuries are abrasions to the face, fractured skull, wrist injury, and burns to the chest. These minor injuries all add up when they are all inflicted at the same time, the time of ejection.
Neck and Back injuries
If you have been in a car accident, whiplash is a common injury. Whiplash is characterized by a number of symptoms such as neck pain, headaches, and shoulder pain. the symptoms of whiplash can last a year or longer depending on the severity of the injury. There can be even more complicated neck and back injuries such as herniated disks and compression fractures.
If you have any of these injuries or more, you need to call an experienced Baltimore personal injury attorney.
Our Head-On Car Accident and Collision Lawyers Can Help
Many people hesitate when it comes to hiring an attorney because they believe that they will not be able to afford one on top of all the medical bills and lost wages. However, at Rice, Murtha & Psoras, we offer you a free consultation to come in and ask us any questions you may have and to review the basics of your case. If you wish to move forward, you still will not be charged unless we win a settlement or trial for you.
Don’t think you have a case? Leave that to the professionals to decide. Since the consultation is free, you can’t lose anything from coming in to talk about your case and how the frontal collision has altered your life. We have handled hundreds of cases like yours and want to help.
Call the Baltimore car accident attorneys at Rice, Murtha & Psoras or visit our website to schedule an appointment today.