Car vs telephone pole

Why do papers report accidents this way? Any time you pair things up with a "vs" in the middle, I'm expecting some badass boxing ring action or maybe a gaggle of retired superheroes getting together just for shits and giggles. "car vs telephone pole" takes away the seriousness and causes hilarious visuals where a talking car with cartoon googly eyes is TKOing an exhausted, splintered telephone pool. Does vs mean something different in journalism?