Pflugerville Man Killed in Head-On Collision
A 40-year-old Pflugerville man was killed in a head-on collision on the night of May 1, after his Mazda continued north after drifting into the southbound lane of FM 685 and striking a southbound Jeep. The Jeep driver was taken to Seton Medical Center Williamson where he was said to be in stable condition, while the Mazda driver was pronounced dead at the scene. This type of outcome is depressingly common for head-on collisions, where the weight and velocity can lead to fatalities all too easily.
Statistics Show Grim Trends
Data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) estimate that while head-on collisions between cars are comparatively rare – only around 3.3 percent of all crashes are of this type – but roughly 10 percent of fatal crashes nationwide are of this type. This does make sense when one considers the sheer weights involved in most collisions, especially when the vehicles involved are not of similar size. Pedestrians and passengers in smaller cars tend to bear the brunt of the damage in such accidents.
Head-on collisions can also occur between a car and a fixed object, like a pole or a guardrail. It can be difficult to determine the number of these crashes which qualify as head-on because they are most often classified as single-vehicle crashes. However, the same injuries tend to recur in any accident where the front end meets another object – whiplash, traumatic brain injuries, and broken bones are the most commonly seen.
If You Have Been Injured
If you have been harmed in a head-on collision, you may be able to obtain compensation to cover your medical bills and lost wages. Car accidents are usually brought to court as personal injury lawsuits, under a theory of negligence. This means that you must be able to show that the defendant was negligent in order to prevail, and to do that, you must establish certain criteria. You must be able to show that the defendant breached their duty to exercise reasonable care toward other motorists on the road and that their breach of duty was the direct cause of your harm.
Be advised that there is a two-year time limit on filing these types of lawsuits. Memories fade and documents and other important information on accidents may be lost or destroyed over time, so the state tries to ensure that good-faith personal injury lawsuits are filed as close to the time of the accident as possible. If you do not file in time, you lose your chance to seek compensation for the harm you have suffered.
Call a New Braunfels Collision Attorney
Head-on collisions can be deadly, but even if you manage to make it through, your injuries can be life-changing. The skilled New Braunfels head-on collision attorneys at the Bettersworth Law Firm can sit down with you to educate you on your options after a collision. Contact our offices today at 888-392-0039 to schedule a free consultation.
Sources:
https://www.statesman.com/news/20190502/pflugerville-man-killed-in-head-on-crash-on-fm-685
https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.16.htm
https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-highway-safety#Crashes%20By%20First%20Harmful%20Event,%20Type%20Of%20Collision%20And%20Crash%20Severity,%202015
