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Head-On Collisions

Every year, over 200,000 car accidents happen in Florida. Even with over 16 million people driving throughout the state, the numbers are alarming, indicating that a little over 1% of the traffic driving throughout Florida will result in an automobile accident. Consider that in 2015, Florida saw a total of 374,342 accidents, averaged out to 1,025 accidents happening every day. This is almost 30,000 more accidents than the state experienced in 2014, and over 100,000 more accidents than the state experienced in 2009. Of the accidents reported in 2015, 2,939 resulted in fatalities. According to findings from the Insurance Information Institute, 35,092 people throughout the United States died in car accidents in 2015. This means that out of all the accidents that occurred throughout the country, Florida was where almost 10% of them occurred.

Now, not all of these accidents are fatal. 159,795 of the car accidents reported in 2015 resulted in injuries, but no fatalities. In these accidents, 243,316 people suffered injuries ranging from mild whiplash to severe bodily trauma like head and neck injuries. Even though they survived, even though their lives will continue and their families remain whole, these accidents still represent instances where individual’s lives were irrevocably altered. Cars are massively helpful machines that populate our existence. Most of us own cars, and even if you personally do not possess one it is very likely that you ride in an automobile with some frequency (such as cab rides, rideshares, or even bus transportation).

There are numerous reasons why an accident might occur, and there are plenty of statistics outlining just how many accidents are caused by things like running a red light, turning without proper signaling, speeding, and failing to yield to a right of way. Sometimes it seems as though there are more ways to get into an accident than there are to avoid them. Likewise, there are numerous physical objects with which an accident can happen, and there are similarly numerous statistics outlining just how many people every year crash into mailboxes, fences, guardrails, curbs, and a variety of posts, poles, embankments, and walls. Despite the large number of statistics, and despite the cornucopia of things with which we can collide, without a doubt the most common sort of accident happens between two motor vehicles that are in motion. Out of all the categories into which vehicle accidents can fall, those between two automobiles made up for 45.35% of all fatal accidents and 78.83% of all accidents resulting in injuries. In other words, if you are in an accident the odds are very high that it is going to be with another moving car.

One of the worst possible ways to cars can collide with one another is in what is referred to as a “head-on collision.” As the name suggests, this sort of accident happens when two moving cars hit each other going in opposite directions. These accidents are some of the most damaging, destructive, and deadly. The main reason for such an accident’s brutality has to do with physics. If you are driving at 30mph and hit a motionless car, the impact between you and the car will be 30mph. You are moving, the other car is staying put, and therefore your momentum is all we need to consider. If, on the other hand, you are driving at 30mph and collide with another car going 30mph in the opposite direction, you need to add the two speeds together in order to estimate the force of your impact. In this scenario, it would be as though you hit a motionless car while driving at 60mph.

The difference between hitting something while traveling at 30mph and hitting something while traveling at 60mph is astronomical. In essence, head-on collisions cause the velocity with which your accident occurs to increase at shocking rates, making the devastating effect of the accident far, far worse than it otherwise might be. Two statistics will back this reality up:

  • Head-on collisions were considered to account for only 2% of car accidents in 2005.
  • Head-on collisions constituted over 10% of fatal accidents in 2005.

If you or someone you love has experienced the horror of a head-on collision, the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A. are here to assist you. With over four decades of experience, James O. Cunningham and his team of legal professionals are standing by to fight on your behalf for justice and restitution. Call today for a free consultation.

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    “I was involved in a motor vehicle accident where the other driver ran a red light and my car was a total loss. I was referred to James Cunningham due to the fact that our attorney’s have been very impressed with James Cunningham’s work. This fact turned out to be very true as Mr. Cunningham helped me win my case to a full and maximum settlement.”

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