Murfreesboro Head-On Accidents

When two cars hit each other coming from opposite directions, most of us call it a” head-on collision.” However, engineers and safety experts often refer to it as an angle collision because rarely do two cars hit each other squarely head-on. Instead, it is almost always a portion of the front of one car hits a portion of the front of another car. These types of accidents tend to be extremely violent and deadly. A tremendous amount of force and energy is involved and only a portion of the bumper and car are managing those forces. The relative size of the vehicles involved and the speed in which the vehicles are traveling play a big role in the severity of the collision. Head-on collisions or angle collisions have the highest fatality rate of any type of car accident.

Causes of Head-On Accidents

Head-on collisions can occur when one vehicle attempts to pass a slower moving vehicle and encounters another vehicle coming in the opposite direction. This can occur because the passing driver did not have sufficient time to complete the passing maneuver but attempted it anyway. Alternatively, even if the passing driver has enough time for the cars already on the roadway, another car can enter the roadway from a side street, residence or business and pull into the lane and into the path of the vehicle attempting the passing maneuver. However, the most common reason for head-on accidents is a driver who drifts into the oncoming lane of travel. Perhaps, the driver was drowsy. Or maybe, the driver was distracted by his phone or a child in the vehicle. Of course, the other driver could be impaired by either alcohol or drugs. Whatever the reason, serious injuries and death are often the result of head-on or angle accidents.

Tennessee Law on Head-On Collisions

Under Tennessee law, drivers must maintain their appropriate lane of travel unless it is safe to do otherwise. As for passing another vehicle, Tennessee law states: “ No vehicle shall be driven to the left side of the center of the roadway in overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, unless the left side is clearly visible and is free from oncoming traffic for a sufficient distance ahead to permit overtaking and passing to be completely made without interfering with the safe operation of any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction or any vehicle overtaken. In every event the overtaking vehicle must return to the right-hand side of the roadway before coming within one hundred feet (100′) of any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction.”

What to Do If You Have Been Involved in a Head-On Accident

We urge you to seek legal representation quickly so that valuable evidence is not lost and so that you have an experienced attorney working for you. We assure you that the insurance company will have lawyers working for them. Our award-winning lawyers handle all car accident cases on a contingency basis, so we only get paid if we recover money for you. Unlike most injury lawyers, we advance all case expenses interest-free. For a free initial consultation, simply give us a call at our Murfreesboro office.

1639 Medical Center Parkway, #105
Murfreesboro, TN 37129

Phone: 615-867-9900

Toll-Free: 866-812-8787