$500,000 Head-On Collision Settlement After DUI-Related Crash
Driver Seriously Injured When an Off-Duty Officer Crossed Into Oncoming Traffic
While driving her car in Chicago, our client was involved in a serious head-on collision with an off-duty Chicago police officer who crossed the centerline median into oncoming traffic and was later charged with DUI. Our client was immediately transported by emergency ambulance to the hospital because of life-threatening injuries.
After she was admitted to the emergency room, doctors determined that she had suffered multiple fractures to her pelvis and leg, along with other serious injuries. Over the following years, she required many surgeries, extensive therapy, and more than $150,000 in medical treatment as she fought to regain her health.
Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC ultimately negotiated a $500,000 settlement on her behalf. This result represented the maximum policy limits available under the other driver’s insurance policy.
Why Head-On Collisions Are So Dangerous
Head-on collisions are among the most dangerous types of car accidents because the vehicles often strike each other while traveling in opposite directions. When one driver crosses a centerline, median, or lane divider into oncoming traffic, the force of impact can cause catastrophic injuries even when the crash lasts only seconds.
Common causes of head-on collisions may include drunk driving, distracted driving, fatigue, speeding, improper passing, wrong-way driving, loss of control, poor weather, or a driver drifting across the roadway. In this case, the other driver was later charged with DUI, making impaired driving a major issue in the investigation.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration explains that alcohol reduces brain function and impairs thinking, reasoning, and muscle coordination, all of which are essential to safe driving. NHTSA also reports that about 30% of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers with blood alcohol concentrations of .08 g/dL or higher.
Pelvis and Leg Fractures After a Car Crash
A head-on collision can cause the body to absorb tremendous force. Pelvic and leg fractures may occur when the lower body strikes the dashboard, door, console, floorboard, steering area, or other parts of the vehicle interior. These injuries may require emergency care, orthopedic treatment, surgery, hardware placement, rehabilitation, and long-term follow-up.
MedlinePlus explains that a fracture is a break, usually in a bone, and that treatment may include a cast or splint. In more serious cases, surgery may be needed to place plates, pins, or screws to keep the bone in place while it heals.
When a crash causes multiple fractures, the injured person may face months or years of recovery. Complications may include pain, limited mobility, difficulty walking, nerve involvement, scarring, weakness, reduced independence, inability to work, and the need for additional surgery or therapy.
Policy Limits and Available Insurance Coverage
The $500,000 settlement in this case represented the maximum policy limits available under the other driver’s insurance policy. That matters because a serious injury case may be worth more than the available insurance coverage. When medical bills, surgeries, lost income, pain, disability, and future treatment are significant, policy limits can become a major issue.
The Illinois Secretary of State explains that liability insurance is required for motor vehicles that must display license plates and are being driven, including cars, vans, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, trucks, and buses. Even so, some drivers have only limited insurance, and some drive with no insurance at all.
Depending on the facts, an injured person may need to investigate several possible sources of recovery, including the at-fault driver’s liability coverage, the injured person’s own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, an employer’s insurance if the driver was acting within the scope of employment, or other parties whose negligence contributed to the crash.
Determining Liability in a DUI-Related Collision
Liability means legal responsibility for causing the crash. In this case, the other driver crossed the centerline median into oncoming traffic. When a driver enters the wrong lane and causes a head-on collision, that conduct can be strong evidence of negligence.
A DUI charge may also be important, but a civil injury claim still requires careful proof. The legal team may need to review police reports, crash reconstruction materials, witness statements, ambulance records, hospital records, photographs, vehicle damage, toxicology evidence, criminal-case records, and insurance information.
Illinois uses modified comparative negligence. The Illinois Department of Insurance explains that an injured person may generally recover damages only if they are less than 50% at fault, and any recovery may be reduced by the injured person’s percentage of fault.
Damages in a Serious Head-On Collision Case
In a severe crash case, damages include much more than vehicle repair costs. When a person suffers life-threatening injuries, multiple fractures, surgery, and years of therapy, the value of the case may involve both economic and non-economic losses.
Damages in a serious DUI accident victim case may include:
- Emergency ambulance transportation
- Emergency room and hospital bills
- Surgeries and orthopedic treatment
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Medication, medical equipment, and follow-up care
- Future medical treatment
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
- Scarring, disfigurement, disability, or loss of normal life
When the injuries are severe enough, the case may also overlap with a broader catastrophic injury claim.
Evidence That Can Matter After a Head-On Collision
Evidence can be especially important after a head-on crash because liability, insurance coverage, injury severity, and fault arguments may all affect the outcome. Early investigation may help preserve information before vehicles are repaired, video is deleted, witnesses become difficult to locate, or roadway conditions change.
Important evidence may include:
- Police reports and DUI-related records
- Photographs and video of the crash scene
- Vehicle damage and event data recorder information
- Witness statements and 911 records
- Ambulance, emergency room, hospital, and surgical records
- Insurance policy information and coverage-limit documentation
- Crash reconstruction materials
- Medical bills, therapy records, wage records, and proof of long-term limitations
Legal Help After a Serious Head-On Collision
Head-on collisions can cause devastating injuries, especially when impaired driving is involved. Even when liability appears clear, insurance companies may still dispute damages, delay payment, argue over policy limits, or attempt to minimize the long-term impact of the injuries.
Since 1990, Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC has represented injured people and families in Chicago and throughout Illinois. If you or a loved one suffered serious injuries in a head-on collision, DUI-related crash, or other motor vehicle accident, contact us for a free case evaluation at (312) 243-9922 or contact us online.
