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Head-on collisions are among the deadliest crash types on Tacoma roads, and the highways surrounding the city, SR 512, SR 7, I-5, and SR 16, see them with enough regularity that they claim lives every year. When two vehicles traveling toward each other collide, the combined force of both speeds transfers directly into the occupants at the moment of impact, and the injuries can include traumatic brain injuries, spinal damage, shattered bones, internal bleeding, and death.
If you were injured or lost a loved one in a head-on crash in or around Tacoma, Freeman Law Firm, Inc. can investigate who was at fault, build the evidence needed to support your case, and pursue the full compensation available to you under Washington law to cover medical expenses, lost income, and damages for pain and suffering. Reach out to our Tacoma office today by calling (253) 383-4500 or filling out our contact form for a free case evaluation. If we take your case, you pay nothing unless we recover compensation.
The type and severity of the injury in a head-on collision informs case strategy and the compensation that our team will pursue on your behalf.
Even with airbag deployment, the brain can strike the inside of the skull with enough force to cause a concussion, contusion, or more serious traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBIs range from short-term cognitive disruption to permanent changes in memory, personality, and function.
Sudden decelerations like those inherent to a head-on collision puts extreme stress on the cervical and lumbar spine. Herniated discs, fractured vertebrae, and spinal cord damage can result in chronic pain, limited mobility, or paralysis, and spinal injuries frequently require surgery, extended rehabilitation, and ongoing care.
Fractures are among the most reported injuries in head-on crashes, particularly in the legs, arms, ribs, pelvis, and facial bones. Crush injuries, where the vehicle structure collapses into the occupant's space, can be especially severe and may require multiple surgeries or amputation.
Blunt force trauma to the chest and abdomen can damage the liver, spleen, kidneys, and lungs without any visible external injury. Internal bleeding is life-threatening and may not be detected without imaging, which is one reason why a medical evaluation immediately after a crash is so important regardless of how you feel at the scene.
Whiplash, torn ligaments, and muscle damage are common in head-on collisions and should not be dismissed as minor. Soft tissue injuries can cause chronic pain and reduced range of motion that affects your ability to work and carry out daily activities for months or years.
More serious injuries usually translate directly to higher medical costs, longer periods of lost income, and greater damages for pain and suffering. At Freeman Law Firm, our lawyers work with medical professionals and experts to build a complete picture of your injuries and their long-term impact, so that the full cost of your recovery is accounted for in your case.
To recover compensation after a head-on collision in Washington, your case needs to establish that another driver's negligence caused the crash and your injuries. To show negligence, four specific elements typically need to be present:
Fault is not always limited to one driver. Depending on the circumstances, liability can be shared by:
Our head-on collision attorney team investigates each case to identify every party whose negligence contributed to the crash in order to pursue maximum recovery for our clients.
Washington law allows injury victims to pursue compensation from the at-fault driver's insurance carrier and, where applicable, directly from other liable parties. Compensation in a head-on collision case falls into two categories:
Economic damages are calculated from documentation like bills, records, pay stubs, and expert projections for future care. Economic damages can cover:
Non-economic damages are meant to cover damages that are less quantifiable but still meaningful and considered significant under the law. Non-economic damages can include:
If a head-on collision killed a family member, Washington's wrongful death statute allows certain surviving family members to pursue compensation for funeral and burial costs, lost financial support the deceased provided, and the loss of their companionship and guidance.
Washington also recognizes a separate survival action, which allows the estate to recover damages the deceased would have been entitled to had they survived, including their pain and suffering prior to death.
Our accident law team handles wrongful death and survival actions, and works with financial experts to calculate the full value of what your family has lost, directly quantifiable or otherwise.
What you do in the days and weeks after a head-on collision directly affects what you can recover.
In the weeks after a crash, the evidence that supports your case can have a short shelf life:
At the same time, the at-fault driver's insurance carrier has likely already assigned an adjuster to the case whose job is to limit what they are required to pay out.
Our lawyers guide clients through each of the following steps and handles any investigative work so you can concentrate on your recovery.
Seek medical attention as soon as possible after the crash, even if your injuries seem minor at first. A documented medical timeline that starts at or near the date of the crash is one of the primary tools used to connect your injuries to the collision.
Gaps in treatment give insurance carriers grounds to argue that your injuries were not serious or were caused by something other than the crash.
If you are physically able at the scene, photograph the vehicles, road conditions, skid marks, signage, and any visible injuries. Save any dashcam footage and write down what you remember about how the crash happened as soon as you are able.
Our attorneys conduct independent investigations that can include accident reconstruction, surveillance footage, and witness statements before that evidence is lost.
Report the crash to your insurance carrier, but do not give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver's insurance company without first speaking to an attorney. Insurance adjusters are trained to ask questions in ways that can produce answers used to reduce or deny your case.
Once Freeman Law Firm takes your case, you no longer have to deal with insurance carriers directly. Our firm handles all of that communication on your behalf.
Hold onto every medical bill, prescription receipt, and record of missed work. Keep a journal of how your injuries affect your daily life, including sleep, mobility, and your ability to carry out work and personal responsibilities.
We this documentation to calculate the full scope of your damages, including future medical costs and lost earning capacity, and presents it as a complete picture of what the crash has cost you financially and personally.
Washington gives injury victims three years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. Miss that deadline and the court will refuse to hear the case, regardless of how strong the evidence is or how serious your injuries are.
Three years can seem like more than enough time, but building a strong case takes time, and the earlier Freeman Law Firm gets involved, the more evidence will be available to work with. Waiting also creates a risk that key witnesses become unreachable or that medical records become harder to connect directly to the crash.
There are a few exceptions to the three-year rule:
Wrongful death cases carry the same three-year deadline, but it starts from the date of death rather than the date of the crash if the two differ.
Our attorneys will identify which deadlines apply to your case from the outset, including any shortened notice requirements if a government entity is involved, so that no deadline is missed.
Washington follows a pure comparative negligence rule, which means your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault in the crash. If you are found 20% at fault, you recover 80% of your total damages. Washington's pure comparative negligence rule allows you to recover compensation even if you are found more than 50% at fault, though your recovery is reduced accordingly.
At-fault drivers and their insurance carriers routinely argue that the injured party shares blame for a crash. They may claim you were speeding, drifting, or distracted. Freeman Law Firm builds cases that counter those arguments so that fault is assigned accurately rather than in a way that benefits the other side.
Freeman Law Firm has spent over 28 years representing injury victims across Washington and has successfully closed more than 1,000 cases. Head-on collision cases require a level of investigation and preparation that goes well beyond gathering medical records, and the firm brings the resources and experience to handle that work from start to finish.
Freeman Law Firm offers a free initial consultation where an attorney listens to what happened, reviews the details of your case, and tells you honestly what your options are. There is no obligation, and the firm takes personal injury cases on a contingency basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless the firm recovers compensation for you.
Once we take your case, our serious injury lawyers get to work immediately. As applicable, we will:
Freeman Law Firm negotiates directly with insurance carriers on your behalf, with a full damages picture built from your medical records, expert opinions, and financial losses.
Insurance carriers make lower offers when they believe a claimant will accept quickly or does not have attorney representation. With Freeman Law Firm handling negotiations, the carrier knows the firm is prepared to take the case to trial if the offer does not reflect what you are owed.
Most personal injury cases settle before trial, but Freeman Law Firm prepares every case as if it will go before a jury. Meaningful preparation is what gives the firm leverage in negotiations and what protects you if a settlement cannot be reached.
The car attorneys at Freeman Law Firm have spent a combined 75+ years representing injury victims across Washington, and have taken cases to verdict when that is what it takes to get a client the compensation they deserve.
If you were injured in a head-on collision in or around Tacoma, contact us today at (253) 383-4500 for a free consultation. If we take your case you’ll pay nothing unless we recover compensation.
Washington allows you to carry uninsured and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage on your own policy, and that coverage exists specifically for situations where the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough to cover your losses.
If you have UIM coverage, Freeman Law Firm can pursue a claim against your own policy for the gap between what the at-fault driver's insurance pays and what your damages actually are.
If you are unsure whether you have UIM coverage or what your limits are, the firm can review your policy as part of your initial consultation.
Passengers in a head-on collision have a straightforward path to compensation because they bear no fault for how the crash happened.
Depending on the circumstances, a passenger can pursue a case against the driver of the vehicle they were in, the driver of the other vehicle, or both.
Freeman Law Firm identifies which parties are liable and pursues all available sources of compensation on the passenger's behalf.
Yes. Washington's pure comparative negligence rule means not wearing a seatbelt may reduce your compensation if the defense argues it contributed to the severity of your injuries, but it does not bar you from recovering compensation altogether. How much of a reduction, if any, depends on the specific facts of your case.
Cases that include serious injuries typically don’t resolve in weeks. A straightforward case with clear liability and a cooperative insurance carrier can settle in a few months, but cases with disputed fault, severe injuries, or multiple liable parties can take a year or longer.
One reason not to rush a settlement is that the full extent of injuries, particularly spinal and brain injuries, sometimes takes months to fully manifest themselves. If you settle before that point you would be accepting compensation based on an incomplete picture of your losses.
A criminal charge and a personal injury case are separate proceedings. A DUI conviction can be used as evidence in your civil case to establish that the driver breached their duty of care, but you do not need to wait for the criminal case to conclude before pursuing compensation. In fact, waiting can work against you given the three-year statute of limitations. Freeman Law Firm can work on your case in parallel with any criminal proceedings.
Crashes on public highways fall under standard Washington personal injury law, but crashes on private property can raise questions about who owns and controls the road and whether that party bears any responsibility for conditions that contributed to the crash.
Freeman Law Firm evaluates the location of the crash as part of the initial investigation to determine which rules apply and who can be held liable.