The other driver's headlights should not be facing you. When they are, and when they are closing fast, a head-on collision leaves almost no room to react. These crashes cause a disproportionate share of Texas highway deaths and catastrophic injuries, and the aftermath is often as difficult as the impact itself.
At Cowen Law, we handle serious head-on collision cases across Texas from our San Antonio office and represent injured Texans statewide. We are trial lawyers first, and that courtroom focus carries into every catastrophic injury case we take, including passenger vehicle head-on crashes.
If a head-on collision injured you or killed a loved one, call us at (210) 941-1306 for a free consultation.
Call us at (210) 941-1306 for a free consultation or contact us below. No cost to you unless we win.
How We Help After a Texas Head-On Collision
A head-on collision case involves catastrophic injury on one side and an insurance company built to minimize what it pays on the other. Our Texas head-on collision attorneys handle that fight so injured people and their families can focus on recovery.
We Investigate What Caused the Crash
Head-on collisions almost always trace to a driver who left their lane. Impairment, fatigue, distraction, a wrong-way entry, or an unsafe pass all leave signs in the road, in the vehicles, and in the digital records around the crash. We rebuild what happened using the police report, physical evidence, camera footage, and reconstruction professionals when the case requires it.
We Preserve Evidence Before It Vanishes
The proof that supports a head-on collision claim fades fast. Skid marks wash away, business camera footage cycles out, and vehicles are moved or scrapped. We move quickly to lock down what matters, from onboard vehicle data to nearby traffic and business cameras.
We Handle the Insurance Companies
The other driver's insurer will move fast to reduce or deny the claim. We manage every communication with the insurance company, shielding you from recorded statement requests and the early lowball offers designed to close the case before your injuries are understood.
We Prepare Every Case for Trial
Insurers pay more when the firm across the table is prepared to try the case. We prepare each head-on collision case for trial from the first week, and that trial readiness drives negotiation. When an offer reflects the true value of the harm, we advise settlement. When it does not, we are ready to go to court.
Why Choose Cowen Law After a Texas Head-On Collision?
Choosing the right firm shapes the outcome of a serious injury case. Head-on collision victims across Texas choose us for reasons that go to the heart of how we practice.
Trial Lawyers Who Mean It
We are known statewide for our trial-first practice, and that focus applies to every catastrophic injury case we take. Michael Cowen has tried more than 120 jury trials in personal injury cases and is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Results That Move Insurers
Our firm has recovered a $26 million wrongful death settlement, multiple trucking recoveries above $11 million, and dozens of other multi-million-dollar results for injured Texans and their families. Insurers know our record, and it changes what they offer.
Direct Attorney Access
From your first call, you speak with an attorney, not a case manager working from a script. Serious injury cases call for lawyer judgment early, and we handle them that way.
No Cost to You Unless We Recover
We work on a contingency fee. You pay nothing upfront and owe no fee at all unless we recover money for you. We advance the costs of building the case, including investigators and reconstruction professionals, so the strength of your claim never depends on what you can afford.
What Causes Head-On Collisions in Texas?
Head-on collisions are among the rarest crash types on Texas roads, but they cause a wildly disproportionate share of the state's fatal and catastrophic injury cases. Identifying what caused the crash usually points directly to who was at fault.
Wrong-Way Driving
Wrong-way driving accounts for many of the worst head-on collisions on Texas highways. A driver enters a divided road going the wrong direction, usually while impaired or confused, and closes on oncoming traffic at highway speed. These crashes are almost always the wrong-way driver's fault, and Texas prosecutors and insurers alike treat them accordingly.
Impaired Driving
A driver impaired by alcohol or drugs can drift across the center line or into oncoming traffic without registering the danger. Impaired driving cases often open the door to punitive damages under Texas law when the plaintiff proves gross negligence, and in some fact patterns to a claim against a bar or restaurant that overserved the driver under the Texas Dram Shop Act.
Drowsy Driving
A driver who falls asleep behind the wheel loses lane control instantly. Long-haul highway travel, night driving, and fatigue after long shifts all raise the risk. Drowsy driving cases often turn on evidence of the driver's hours and time behind the wheel leading up to the crash.
Distracted Driving
Texting, dispatch tablets, and other in-vehicle distractions pull a driver's eyes off the road at exactly the moment they cannot afford to look away. A few seconds of inattention at highway speed is enough to cross a center line.
Unsafe Passing on Two-Lane Roads
Rural Texas is full of two-lane state highways where passing means crossing into the oncoming lane. A driver who misjudges the pass, ignores no-passing markings, or refuses to yield to the vehicle they are meeting causes some of the worst head-on wrecks the state sees.
Losing Control on a Curve
A vehicle traveling too fast for a curve, or a driver who does not keep the vehicle in its lane on a bend, can slide into oncoming traffic. Weather, worn tires, and unfamiliar roads compound the risk.
What Injuries Do Head-On Collisions Cause?
Head-on collisions combine the closing speed of both vehicles at the moment of impact. A crash between two vehicles traveling 55 miles per hour is not a 55 mile-per-hour crash. It is a 110 mile-per-hour force event. That physics is why these wrecks cause catastrophic injury so often.
- Traumatic brain injury from the sudden deceleration and airbag deployment
- Spinal cord injury and paralysis from spinal loading and compression
- Multiple long-bone and pelvic fractures
- Internal organ injury and internal bleeding
- Facial and dental injury from airbag or steering wheel impact
- Burn injury from fuel-fed fires
- Wrongful death
For catastrophic injury cases, we work with life care planners and economists to document lifetime medical needs, future wage losses, and every category of harm insurance carriers otherwise ignore.
What Damages Can You Recover in a Texas Head-On Collision Case?
Texas law lets an injured person recover damages that put them, as nearly as possible, in the position they would have held without the crash.
- Economic damages cover past and future medical care, lost wages, lost earning capacity, property damage, and the costs of home and vehicle modifications required by permanent injury.
- Non-economic damages compensate physical pain, mental anguish, disfigurement, physical impairment, loss of consortium for a spouse, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- Exemplary (punitive) damages are available when the plaintiff proves by clear and convincing evidence that the harm resulted from fraud, malice, or gross negligence. Wrong-way drunk driving cases often qualify.
- Wrongful death damages are available under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 71.004 when a head-on collision kills a family member. The surviving spouse, children, and parents may bring the claim for their exclusive benefit.
How Fault Works in a Texas Head-On Collision
Texas follows modified comparative responsibility under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33.001. A claimant more than 50 percent responsible for their own injuries recovers nothing. If the claimant's share of fault is 50 percent or less, Section 33.012 requires the court to reduce the recovery by the claimant's percentage of fault.
In most head-on collision cases, fault sits squarely on the driver who crossed the center line. Insurers will still try to argue that the injured driver could have done more to avoid the crash. Evidence preservation and reconstruction are what keep the fault percentage where the facts place it.
Our Texas car accident attorneys treat the fault analysis as a first-week priority, not something to defer until the insurer has already framed the story.
Frequently Asked Questions About Texas Head-On Collisions
How long do I have to file a Texas head-on collision lawsuit?
Most Texas personal injury claims must be filed within two years of the crash under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003. Wrongful death actions generally follow the same two-year deadline from the date of death. Different deadlines may apply to claims against government entities and to claims brought by minors, so a specific case should be reviewed by an attorney early.
What if a wrong-way driver caused the head-on collision?
Wrong-way driving cases almost always fall on the wrong-way driver, especially when the driver was impaired. These cases often support punitive damages against the driver and, depending on the facts, a separate claim against a bar or restaurant that overserved the driver under Texas dram shop law.
What if my loved one was killed in a Texas head-on collision?
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 71.004, the surviving spouse, children, and parents may bring a wrongful death claim. Recoverable losses include lost earnings the deceased would have contributed, mental anguish, loss of companionship and society, and loss of household services. A separate survival action lets the estate recover the deceased's pre-death losses.
What if the at-fault driver did not have enough insurance?
Head-on collisions cause severe injuries that quickly exceed minimum liability limits. Additional coverage may exist through the injured person's own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. In commercial vehicle head-on crashes, higher federal insurance minimums may apply. Our firm reviews every available policy to find the coverage your injuries actually require.
Do I need a lawyer to file a Texas head-on collision claim?
You are not required to hire a lawyer, but head-on collision cases are difficult, and the insurance carriers on the other side have already lawyered up. A firm that handles serious injury cases and prepares them for trial from day one levels a fight that begins tilted against injured people.
Do you handle head-on collision cases outside San Antonio?
Yes. We represent injured Texans statewide from our San Antonio office. Clients in South Texas often start with our San Antonio head-on collision lawyer team, and we serve clients across the state on serious injury cases.
Talk to a Texas Head-On Collision Lawyer Today
Head-on collisions are among the most devastating car crashes on Texas roads. If one has injured you or killed a loved one, you deserve a firm ready to take the case seriously from the first call.
Cowen Law has recovered a $26 million wrongful death settlement, multiple trucking recoveries above $11 million, and dozens of other multi-million-dollar results for Texans and their families. Michael Cowen has tried more than 120 jury trials in personal injury cases and is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Call (210) 941-1306 for a free consultation in English or Spanish. No Cost to You unless we recover money for you.
Prior results described here arose from their own distinct facts and are not a promise of similar outcomes. This page is attorney advertising and does not create an attorney-client relationship; representation begins only upon a signed written agreement.
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Cowen Law - Texas Office
Address: 6243 I-10 #801, San Antonio, TX 78201
Contact No: (210) 941-1306