Wrong-Way Crash Lawyers

Wrong-way incidents occur when a motorist steers the vehicle in the wrong direction and collides with vehicles traveling in the proper direction. These incidents are most likely to happen while a driver is using an exit ramp on a highway, but they can also happen on city streets at low speeds. Vehicle malfunction or poor road design are other reasons for wrong-way crashes, but vehicle failure is also a factor.

Drivers most commonly cause wrong-way accidents due to:

Alcohol Use

Over half of all wrong-way collisions, according to research from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), are caused by an intoxicated driver. In many situations, drunk drivers involved in these accidents had a considerably high blood alcohol concentration, indicating that they had consumed twice the legal limit or more.

Advanced Age

Approximately 15% of wrong-way accidents are caused by elderly drivers. This might be due to health issues (such as vision problems or dementia) or physical limits that prevent them from correcting a mistake quickly enough to avoid a collision.

Distractions

The driver of a car using a mobile phone may merge into traffic, take the wrong turn onto the incorrect highway ramp, or go the wrong way up a one-way street.

Unfamiliar Roadways

New drivers may have a difficult time navigating traffic circles, one-way streets, or the location of travel in alleys due to unfamiliarity with the region. These drivers might be involved in the wrong-way crashes when they enter the road or try an illegal U-turn to comply with the vehicle’s navigation instructions.

Detours

When an intersection is under construction, traffic can become chaotic. Depending on the situation, it’s easy for drivers to get confused about which lane they should be in. When a diversion has ended, drivers may continue to drive in the incorrect direction if there are no signs or methods for changing lanes.

Road Design Issues

Because highway interchanges, particularly cloverleaf and partial cloverleaf designs, might create a danger of collisions if the entry and exit ramps are parallel, they should be avoided. When turning left at an intersection, drivers may inadvertently turn too deeply, putting them in the path of oncoming traffic instead of on the other side.

Lack Of Warning Signs

Ramps that are severely scuffed, lack of Do Not Enter signs, insufficient lighting, or signs hidden by foliage might all lead to a car driving in the wrong direction. Signs are essential since a motorist may easily mistakenly enter an empty stretch of the roadway only to realize they are going the wrong way when other vehicles appear.

Defective Auto Equipment

A vehicle’s product designer or manufacturer may be held responsible for a wrong-direction accident if the driver is forced to enter traffic facing the incorrect direction because of a faulty tire, malfunctioning steering mechanism, or another defective automobile component.

Common Injuries In Wrong-Way Car Accidents

According to the NTSB, wrong-way crashes are more deadly than other forms of vehicle accidents, with one death in five happening as a result. This is due to the fact that two vehicles rushing head-on toward each other usually result in a head-on collision, which is likely to be fatal at highway speeds.

Even if victims survive these accidents, the injuries they suffer are frequently severe and need costly surgery and hospitalization, long-term physical and emotional rehabilitation, and lifelong difficulties that make independent living difficult or impossible.

Wrong-way driving collisions can result in a variety of injuries. The most common ones include:

• Head and neck injuries (such as whiplash or traumatic brain injury)
• Spinal cord injuries that result in partial or complete paralysis
• Internal injuries to organs in the chest or abdomen
• Broken bones (especially the pelvis, ribs, collarbone, arms, and legs)

Our attorneys can research the specifics of your case to see who may be held responsible if you’ve been hurt in a severe automobile accident. Our injury lawyers offer free initial consultations and represent their clients’ interests on a contingency basis, which means they won’t get paid unless they win compensation for you.

How Wrong-Way Crashes Happen

Wrong-way driving happens when a motorist drives in the incorrect direction, most often because she used an exit ramp to enter a highway or crossed over a median into oncoming lanes of traffic. Frequently, the driver has driven past numerous warnings that should have alerted her that she was going the wrong way due to intoxication, tiredness, inattention, or confusion.

The majority of wrong-way crashes are caused by alcohol and drugs. A drunk driver was involved in around 50% of wrong-way incidents, while a drugged driver was involved in four percent of these collisions. The blood alcohol concentration of the driver is frequently much higher than the legal limit.

The majority of wrong-way collisions, 72 percent, take place at night, with the peak occurring between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. when many drivers are still awake. The hours surrounding 2 a.m., 3 a.m., and 4 a.m are often confused, weary, and poor visibility times for drivers who may fail to see warning signals or nod off at the wheel.

Texas DOT Wrong Way Prevention

In an effort to prevent wrong-way collisions, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has installed new technology on some Dallas-Fort Worth freeways. When sensors detect that a motorist is driving in the wrong direction, they activate flashing wrong-way signs. There are brightly lit LEDs on certain highways to caution drivers just before they enter an exit ramp.

Following A Wrong-Way Crash, Request A Free Consultation At Texas Personal Injury Lawyers

Schedule a free consultation with Texas Personal Injury Lawyers to discover more about getting compensation for your injuries or death of  those of a loved one. We allow you to assert your rights without risking anything by handling your wrong-way crash accident claim without charging any fees until we win your case.

Call our legal team immediately at (888) 997-2148 to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our experienced accident lawyers and it will be your initial step toward receiving fair and just compensation. We take cases on a contingency fee basis and there are no costs unless we win, and the consultation is completely free.