A car swerved to avoid a stopped car and then slid into oncoming traffic. The stopped car was waiting at the intersection of KY 307 and US 62 for traffic to clear so it could turn onto US 62 when the vehicle driven by the now deceased was unable to stop in time and crashed head-on into a car traveling eastbound on KY 307.
A Carlisle County Sheriff’s deputy said that the accident happened around 4:30 pm, January 13 near the Ballard-Carlisle county line. A driver of the vehicle that swerved was taken to a local hospital along with his wife where he later died from his injuries.
Head-On Collisions
Head-on collisions have the highest chance of death and serious injury than other crashes according to the Federal Highway Administration primarily because they carry the speed and momentum of two vehicles. Head-on collisions, also called wrong way driving accidents, kill around 400 people a year in the United States making up one percent of the total fatalities. However, the fatality rate per collision is almost 27 percent higher than non-head-on crashes.
Causes of Head-On Collisions
There are some common causes for head-on crashes, some of them are:
- Impaired driving,
- Falling asleep,
- Distracted driving
- Poor signage,
- Darkness/poor visibility to see signs
- Speeding
In a typical head-on on a non-divided rural highway, the driver drifts or swerves into oncoming traffic. Because there is no median, it doesn’t take much for a car to get into oncoming traffic. Also, in rural roads, the speed limit is often 50+ mph which creates a tremendous impact when hitting another vehicle traveling at a similar speed.
Who’s at Fault?
At first blush, determining fault should be simple as it is the car in the wrong lane. However, it’s not always that clear cut, and the investigators often have a difficult time with the debris and placement of the vehicles in a head-on collision. Because of the high impact, the cars are often off the highway and nowhere near the impact spot. The accident investigators will do their best to determine what happened and will then issue a report.
This report is their professional opinion as to what happened, but they do not typically giver their opinion on who’s fault it is. However, they are not infallible, and mistakes are made. Insurance companies are good at making the report work to lessen the liability of their insured.
Don’t go it Alone
If you’ve been injured in a head-on or any other auto accident, do not take the insurance companies word for anything. It’s their job to pay you as little as possible, and with a head-on, they might use any uncertainty in the accident report to deflect responsibility from their client. Call the attorneys at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, and they will stand behind you to make sure that you are treated fairly and that you get the highest compensation allowed by the law.
When you call Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, at 800 937-8443, you will immediately speak to a member of the legal team and not a message machine. You can also Live Chat with an expert who can immediately began helping you with your claim.
