Head-on crashes combine the speed of two vehicles into a single impact, which is why they produce the most severe injuries on the road. An Ann Arbor head-on collision lawyer starts with the question of why a vehicle was on the wrong side of the centerline.
Christensen Law handles these cases from our Ann Arbor office on Miller Road and from four other offices across the state.
These files move quickly, and the evidence does not wait. Call our wrong-way driver accident lawyers in Ann Arbor at (248) 900-9000 and tell us what happened.
CHRISTENSEN LAW HAS A 24 HOUR RAPID RESPONSE SERVICE
Why Are Head-On Crashes So Severe?
The forces involved are roughly double what either driver would experience hitting a fixed object at the same speed. Two vehicles closing at 50 miles per hour each produce a combined impact energy that no passenger compartment is designed to fully absorb.
The occupant space itself often fails in these crashes. Engine blocks intrude into footwells, steering columns move rearward, and the injuries follow that intrusion pattern rather than the seat belt pattern seen in other collisions.
What we typically see in a frontal collision injury claim in Ann Arbor:
- Traumatic brain injuries, from mild concussion through catastrophic injury
- Cervical and thoracic spine fractures, and spinal cord damage
- Lower extremity crush injuries, including femur, tibia, and ankle fractures
- Chest and abdominal trauma from belt and airbag loading
- Facial fractures and vision loss
- Amputation, whether traumatic or surgical
Injuries at this level clear Michigan’s statutory threshold without much argument, so the fight in these cases usually shifts to causation and to how much the losses are worth.
What Does Michigan Law Say About Crossing the Centerline?
Michigan requires drivers to keep to the right half of the roadway, and a violation is powerful evidence in a civil case. MCL 257.634 directs that on any roadway of sufficient width, a driver shall drive on the right half.
The statute lists narrow exceptions, including lawful passing, an obstruction or construction closing the right half, and certain three-lane and divided-roadway situations. A driver using the left half because of an obstruction still has to yield to oncoming traffic.
None of these exceptions covers the ordinary wrong-way crash. A driver who drifts across a centerline on Huron River Drive has no statutory defense, which is why liability in these cases often turns on why it happened rather than whether it happened.
Where a driver was passing when the crash occurred, the passing rules in MCL 257.637 through MCL 257.639 come into play alongside the centerline requirement.
What Causes Wrong-Way and Head-On Crashes?
Most of these crashes trace back to one of a handful of causes, and each one points toward different evidence and sometimes different defendants. Establishing the cause is the core of the investigation.
- Impaired driving, which is heavily represented in wrong-way freeway entries
- Distraction, where a driver drifts across the centerline without ever braking
- Fatigue and medical events, including drivers falling asleep on US-23 late at night
- Unsafe passing on a two-lane road with insufficient sight distance
- Speed and loss of control, particularly on winter road surfaces
- Confusing ramp geometry or signage that contributed to a wrong-way entry
An impaired driving case can widen considerably. Michigan’s operating while intoxicated statute, MCL 257.625, supports the negligence claim, and Michigan’s dram shop provision at MCL 436.1801 can extend responsibility to a licensed establishment that served a visibly intoxicated person.
Where roadway design or signage contributed, a claim against a road authority may exist. Those claims carry notice deadlines far shorter than the three-year period for suing a driver, which is why the cause analysis has to happen early rather than after treatment ends.
How Do You Prove Fault in an Ann Arbor Head-On Crash?
Physical evidence establishes which vehicle crossed the line, and it does so more reliably than either driver’s account. In many of these crashes, one driver has no memory of the event at all.
Vehicle data and reconstruction
Event data recorders in both vehicles capture pre-impact speed, throttle, braking, and steering. Crush profiles, the principal direction of force, and debris and fluid distribution allow a reconstruction engineer to establish the point of impact within the roadway.
Roadway and scene evidence
Tire marks, gouges in the pavement, and where the vehicles came to rest all locate the collision relative to the centerline. This evidence is gone within days once traffic and weather work on it.
Toxicology, phone, and medical records
Where impairment is suspected, hospital blood draws and law enforcement testing matter enormously. Phone records, obtained through subpoena, address distraction, and the at-fault driver’s own medical history can be relevant where a medical event is claimed.
Because reconstruction depends on the vehicles themselves, we move to inspect and preserve them before an insurer sends a total loss to salvage.
Witness accounts deserve early attention, too. Drivers who saw a vehicle traveling the wrong way often called 911 before the crash, and that dispatch audio can establish the wrong-way travel over a stretch of road rather than at a single point.
Where These Crashes Happen Around Ann Arbor
Head-on collisions concentrate in two very different settings, and the evidence available differs sharply between them. Knowing which one applies shapes the investigation.
Undivided rural and semi-rural roads around Washtenaw County produce centerline crossings during passing attempts and weather events. Roads like Huron River Drive, Dexter-Ann Arbor Road, Whitmore Lake Road, and North Territorial carry real speed with no median separating opposing traffic.
Divided highways produce a different and often worse event. Wrong-way entries onto US-23, M-14, and I-94 typically involve a driver entering an exit ramp against traffic, and those crashes tend to occur at night and involve impairment.
Seriously injured people from either setting are usually taken to the University of Michigan Hospital, where the trauma records created in the first hours often become central evidence. Getting those records early is part of preserving the case.
What Christensen Law Brings to a Head-On Crash Case
At Christensen Law, our head-on crash attorneys in Ann Arbor, MI, prepare these files for trial from the beginning, because catastrophic cases are valued according to what the other side thinks a jury would do.
- An Ann Arbor office at 3049 Miller Road, close to Washtenaw County’s courts and the roads these crashes happen on
- A Michigan trial firm working under Michigan no-fault and traffic law throughout
- Five offices, in Southfield, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and Troy, with cases handled across the state
- Our practice centers on serious and catastrophic injury, including brain and spinal cord cases
- We work with reconstruction engineers, treating physicians, and life care planners rather than relying on records alone
- We accept a limited number of these cases so that each receives real attention
A crash of this severity deserves a full investigation before anyone discusses a settlement. Call (248) 900-9000, and we will start with the roadway and the vehicles.
No-Fault Benefits and the Claim Against the At-Fault Driver
Your own insurer pays medical care and part of your wage loss through Personal Injury Protection, regardless of who crossed the centerline. Those benefits are meant to begin quickly and require no proof about the other driver.
Pain and suffering, wage loss past three years, and medical bills above your PIP level come from the at-fault driver instead. MCL 500.3135 permits noneconomic damages where there was death, permanent serious disfigurement, or a serious impairment of body function.
In catastrophic head-on cases, the excess economic loss piece is often larger than the non-economic piece. A person whose PIP medical limit was set at $250,000 can exhaust it during the first hospitalization, and everything past that becomes part of the third-party claim.
Under MCL 600.2959, damages are reduced by your share of fault, and more than 50% responsibility bars noneconomic damages entirely.
I recommend all of my friends and family to Christensen Law. The attorneys and staff there are amazing and really care about their clients where you're treated with care and not...
Jason Waddell
Excellent! From the 1st interaction with Christensen Law it was a positive, wonderful experience! Dustin, Samantha and the entire staff, had...
Susan Schroeder
Christensen Law’s attorneys are filled with compassion and knowledge They took amazing care of my uncle after his accident. I would recommend then to anyone injured in an auto...
Steve Huber
The team at Christensen Law impressed me with their vast knowledge and experience in handling... They were well-versed in the intricacies of the law and provided me with clear explanations of my rights and legal...
Shana Goodrich
It is with extreme gratitude and positive emotions that I write about my relationship with... I presented to them a situation that was quite scary and financially overwhelming. David and his kind staff listened to...
Wendy Henn
If it wasn't for Christensen Law, I don't know where I would be today. Thanks to Dave, Stephanie, and Michelle for getting me through this hard time. I didn't know what to do, I...
Tim Taylor
My name is Erin, my experience with Christensen Law was Overwhelming… But in the very... Christianson Law stepped in after my motorcycle accident when another firm had dropped the ball—and they completely and very quickly...
Erin Magee
I hired this law firm after being hit by a drunk driver in my of... They were communicative, compassionate, made the process easy for me to understand. I was able to effectively receive a size-able...
Wren Bell
From the moment I spoke with Dustin, I felt like I was in good hands He, Samantha, and the entire staff at Christensen Law treated me like family, demonstrating kindness, expertise, and a genuine interest...
Janelle Garza
I am extremely pleased with the experience I had with this law firm, and their... The Christensen Law firm, compassionate approach to my injuries. Their attentive listening, and thorough understanding are truly commendable I highly...
Mr. Douglas
I was in difficult time in my life, it’s a great to know I have... Whole team of Christensen law is amazing and wonderful from start to finish. They often contact me to see how...
Amandeep Sohal
I had an excellent experience working with Christensen Law on my settlement case. From start to finish, the entire team was professional, compassionate, and dedicated to achieving the best possible outcome for me....
Gjon Ivezaj
What Is a Head-On Collision Claim Worth?
Value tracks documented losses, and in head-on cases, the future losses usually dwarf everything already incurred. Two separate sources of money apply, and they cover different ground.
No-fault handles the immediate costs, including reasonable charges for reasonably necessary medical care, up to 85% of lost wages for as long as three years, replacement services, and mileage to treatment.
The claim against the at-fault driver reaches the rest:
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress connected to the injury
- Wage loss continuing past the three-year no-fault window
- Lost earning capacity where you cannot return to your prior work
- Medical costs above the PIP level selected on your policy
- Lifetime care needs, including attendant care and home modifications
- Loss of the activities and relationships the injury took from you
- Damages for surviving family members in a fatal crash
Projecting lifetime needs takes a life care plan built from treating physician recommendations, plus vocational and economic analysis. That work takes months, which is the main reason a catastrophic case should not be valued early.
Deadlines That Apply to an Ann Arbor Head-On Collision Claim
Two clocks run from the date of the crash, and a third, unwritten one, governs the evidence. The written deadlines are the easier part.
- Three years to sue the at-fault driver under MCL 600.5805
- One year to give written notice of injury to your no-fault insurer under MCL 500.3145
- One year back from the filing date as the limit on recoverable no-fault benefits
- Substantially shorter notice periods where a road authority or government vehicle is involved
Deadlines can also differ where the injured person is a minor or lacks legal capacity, which comes up in severe brain injury cases. That is a question worth asking an attorney about directly rather than assuming. Our overview of the filing deadlines in Michigan crash claims covers how these periods interact.
Your Questions Answered by Our Ann Arbor Head-On Collision Lawyer
These are the questions we hear most often from families dealing with a head-on crash in the Ann Arbor area.
Yes. A claim proceeds against the deceased driver’s estate and their liability insurer, and the insurer still defends it. This happens with some regularity in wrong-way cases.
That is common in high-energy frontal crashes, and it does not prevent a claim. Fault is established through reconstruction, physical evidence, and witnesses rather than through your recollection.
Possibly, yes. A passenger generally has a claim against whichever driver was negligent, including a family member, and household policy language and priority rules become important in that situation.
They are separate proceedings with different standards of proof, though a criminal case can produce useful evidence. A civil claim does not depend on a conviction, and it can succeed where charges are never filed.
Look to your own policy next. Underinsured motorist coverage may respond to the shortfall, and in catastrophic cases, identifying every available layer of coverage is often the difference in what a family recovers.
Sooner than most people think, because vehicles get scrapped and scene evidence disappears within days. Nothing about calling early commits you to anything.
Talk With an Ann Arbor Head-On Collision Lawyer
Head-on crash cases are won on evidence gathered in the first weeks, long before the medical picture is complete. We would rather hear from you now and tell you the case is straightforward than see it after the vehicles are gone.
Call Christensen Law at (248) 900-9000 or reach us through our contact page. We serve Washtenaw County through our Ann Arbor car accident practice and represent injured people throughout Michigan.
