Front-end accidents happen when a vehicle collides with something in its path. If two vehicles collide front end to front end, it is called a head-on collision.
Front-end accidents are often fatal at high speeds, and survivors could sustain severe injuries. An injured person could seek damages from the at-fault driver and any other negligent parties that played a role in the crash.
If you were involved in a front-end car accident in Johnstown, seek advice from a local motor vehicle crash attorney as soon as possible. With a seasoned legal professional’s help, you could collect damages covering your losses.
When two vehicles collide head-on, the occupants’ bodies absorb a tremendous impact. An individual could be propelled through the windshield—even if they are wearing a seatbelt—as belts could fail under the stress of a head-on crash at such high speeds. People could also be ejected from the vehicle.
If one of the vehicles has high ground clearance, a smaller vehicle might slide underneath in an underride accident, which is often fatal. Deploying airbags could cause injury, as could shrapnel from the force of the collision. Some of the severe injuries that might result from front-end crashes in Johnstown include:
Recovery from a catastrophic injury may require significant medical intervention, including surgeries and extensive rehabilitation. In many cases, the injured person will never recover full physical or mental functioning. A proactive Johnstown attorney could investigate the head-on collision, identify responsible parties, and assert claims against them for an injured person’s damages.
In the Commonwealth, an injured person who could prove someone else’s negligence caused his or her injury is usually entitled to economic damages and non-economic damages. However, in a car accident case, whether a person could collect non-economic damages depends partly on the type of insurance they carry.
Drivers may buy either full tort coverage or limited tort coverage. A driver with full tort coverage may sue an at-fault driver for both economic and non-economic damages. Drivers with limited tort coverage may sue for economic damages but can seek non-economic damages only under specific circumstances.
Economic damages have a fixed or easily estimated value. Economic damages include medical costs and other injury-related expenses, lost income, and diminished earning opportunities. These economic damages are objective and quantifiable, whereas noneconomic damages are more subjective.
Non-economic damages compensate losses that have no fixed value. Non-economic damages cover:
An injured person with full tort coverage could sue an at-fault driver for his or her non-economic damages. However, a person with limited tort coverage cannot sue for non-economic damages unless an exception applies.
According to 75 P.S. §1705 (d), people with limited tort coverage are allowed to sue an at-fault driver for non-economic damages in some circumstances. Under this statute, a person who suffered injuries in a head-on collision could bring a lawsuit for economic and non-economic damages if the at-fault driver was:
In addition, people who suffered a serious injury may sue for economic and non-economic damages. The law defines a serious injury as capable of causing death or causing a significant impairment of a bodily function or permanent disfigurement. This often depends on the amount of medical treatment required.
An injured person’s attorney must prove that his or her injury is serious under Pennsylvania state law. In cases of paralysis, amputation, or significant cognitive impairment, the injured person is clearly entitled to sue for economic and non-economic damages. In other cases, a legal professional might need to introduce expert opinions demonstrating that an accident victim suffered a serious injury as the law defines that phrase.
Head-on crashes often cause devastating injuries. Even if you were lucky and suffered no permanent injuries, you probably required medical treatment and lost time at work. The at-fault driver should pay for the results of his or her negligence.
If you were hurt in a front-end car accident in Johnstown, a knowledgeable lawyer could be a valuable ally as you seek appropriate compensation. Schedule a case review with the dedicated legal professionals at Marcus & Mack today.
