A police officer was killed, and another person suffered personal injury in a car accident that police are now blaming on a wrong way driver.The crash occurred on westbound interstate-20 early in the morning.
According to DeKalb police, the driver of a westbound vehicle crashed into a sports utility vehicle that was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes.The driver of the westbound car sustained fatal injuries in the crash.The wrong way driver also suffered injuries in the auto accident.
Investigations into the car accident have begun, and investigators now believe that the driver of the sport-utility vehicle was traveling in the wrong direction.These investigations are likely to also include blood-alcohol tests to determine if the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol.
Many wrong-way driving accidents that Atlanta car accident attorneys come across involve people who have been driving under the influence of alcohol, and make a wrong turn.In fact, according to some estimates, alcohol use is a factor in between 50% and 70% of all wrong way driving accidents.
Wrong way driving accidents can be some of the most devastating collisions, because these are typically head-on car accidents.When a vehicle is traveling in the opposite direction, the chances of it colliding with another vehicle are extremely high.In many cases, wrong way driving leads to catastrophic injuries or wrongful death.In most cases, alert motorists are able to get in touch with police officers immediately to alert them to the wrong way driver.In other cases, the driver himself realizes his error, and corrects it, avoiding an accident.
Some of the most frequent wrong way driving scenarios involve a motorist turning onto a one-way street in the opposite direction, or driving on the wrong freeway entrance ramp.A wrong way driver may also drive on the wrong side of the road or highway with terrible consequences.Wrong way driving is strongly linked to intoxicated driving.That is the reason why so many of these accidents occur at night, because most drunk driving also takes place at night.Such car accidents can also be blamed on failure to notice highway signs and signals.Visibility is poor during the night time, and moreover, an intoxicated motorist may not be able to see signs that say “Wrong Way” or “Do Not Enter.”
Unfortunately, in many these situations, there is little that other motorists can do to avoid an accident.At freeway speeds, a vehicle going the wrong way may collide with your vehicle before you even have time to react.This is especially so because many wrong way driving accidents occur at night.Moreover, other motorists are not prepared for the sight of a vehicle barreling down towards them, and may be unable to react in time.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent persons injured in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia.If you have been injured in a car accident in Atlanta, speak with a car accident attorney at our firm.