Head-On Crash Near Knollwood Drive Leaves One Dead

 Posted on February 26, 2025 in Car Accidents

On February 20, 2025, a driver traveling northwest on Generals Highway in a Hyundai Sonata crossed over the center line into oncoming traffic, hitting a Toyota 4Runner and the driver and one passenger in a head-on collision. The Hyundai driver was pronounced dead at Anne Arundel Medical Center, while the driver and the passenger in the Toyota were taken to two different hospitals, where it was determined that their injuries were not life-threatening. The incident remains under investigation.

Head-on crashes are the most dangerous type of car accident, accounting for 58 percent of all traffic accident fatalities in 2022, even though this type of accident only accounts for 14 percent of all types of auto accidents. If you have been involved in a head-on collision caused by the negligence of another driver or your loved one died from injuries sustained in a head-on collision, talking to a Bethesda, MD personal injury attorney can make a significant difference in the outcome of your accident.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Head-On Collisions?

There are many different causes of head-on collisions. As with most auto accidents, distracted driving plays a role in many head-on crashes. When a driver takes his or her attention away from the road, the vehicle can drift across the road into oncoming traffic in a matter of seconds.

Texting, talking on a cell phone, eating, daydreaming, looking at something happening on the side of the road, and even adjusting the radio or GPS can result in a head-on collision. Impairment, whether from drugs or alcohol, can cause a driver to veer into oncoming traffic or drive on a one-way street the wrong way. Coordination and judgment are both compromised in a drunk or drugged driver.

Reckless driving behaviors like disregarding traffic signs and signals, weaving in and out of traffic, and tailgating can ultimately result in a driver changing lanes into oncoming traffic. Inexperienced drivers who are unused to handling challenging road conditions like sharp curves can cross the center line, causing a serious, even deadly, car accident.

Fatigued driving can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence, and when a driver falls asleep at the wheel, tragedy can occur in the form of a head-on collision. Exceeding the speed limit, inclement weather, and mechanical failures like tire blowouts and malfunctioning brakes are also causes of head-on collisions.

What Are the Injuries Most Often Seen After a Head-On Collision?

While virtually any injury is possible in a head-on collision, some are much more likely than others. Back and spinal cord injuries can leave accident victims with long-term loss of mobility, as well as chronic, crippling pain. In some cases, the victim could have partial or complete paralysis, causing permanent changes to his or her life.

Blunt-force trauma can occur when a crash victim strikes the steering column, windows, dashboard, or loose objects in the car with a body part. Vital organs can suffer serious injury during a head-on collision. Traumatic brain injury can result in victims never being able to return to the life they had before the accident.

Memory loss, speech impairment, coma, chronic headaches, behavioral changes, and motor problems are all potential medical issues associated with a traumatic brain injury. Other common injuries from a head-on collision include broken bones, amputated limbs, internal organ damage, burns and scarring, disfigurement to the face, and loss of hearing and sight.

Contact a Washington County, MD Car Accident Lawyer

If you are the victim of a head-on car accident, you may be unable to return to work and make a living and could be facing years – or a lifetime – of medical treatments and rehabilitative therapies. When you have a Hagerstown, MD car accident lawyer from Serafini Law as your legal advocate, you are much more likely to receive a full and fair settlement.

Attorney Serafini gives each case his personal attention, and his clients benefit from his more than 12 years of experience. He is supportive of clients and aggressive with insurance companies and defendants when warranted. Call 240-744-1600 to schedule your free consultation.