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When you leave your driveway, the last thing on your mind is thinking you will be involved in a car accident, let alone one involving a wrong-way driver. Wrong-way accidents are some of the most deadly types of crashes, usually involving high speeds, swerving, and little regard for road rules or the other drivers sharing the right of way.
Wrong-way accidents cause a world of headaches to all involved but know that you do not need to navigate fighting for compensation on your own.
Negligent drivers and their insurance companies may not easily want to pay. They’ll often do whatever it takes to deflect blame and minimize compensation — sometimes refusing to pay anything at all.
Don’t let this happen to you! When you hire an experienced personal injury attorney firm, like Bert McDowell Injury Law, you hire the help and representation needed to make things right. Our experience with handling claims and ability to fully document your damages can help you secure more for medical bills, your lost wages, and more.
Call us today to learn how we can help you receive compensation during a free case review. Schedule your free, no-obligation case evaluation today when you call (203) 633-7449 or contact us online.
Our team in Hartford shares the same roads that you and the other local residents in the area drive daily. So, we understand that the damages caused by a wrong-way accident are not just related to injuries.
Wrong-way accidents take away your time and possibly your ability to work and spend time with your kids. They become costly when you seek the medical care you need to recover from any injuries you have suffered.
Hiring an attorney who understands the ins and outs of Connecticut law is vital to building an effective claim, one that can set you on a path to receiving the compensation you need to fully recover.
Working with an experienced personal injury lawyer who knows how to navigate these claims will provide:
In addition, when you work with a wrong-way accident attorney, they will review the negligent party’s insurance policies for more minor claimable damages that would otherwise be overlooked. These small claims might not seem like much at first, but they may add up to a measurable amount of compensation.
Victims of a one-way crash must be able to prove that the negligent party was the cause of the crash that led to their injuries and losses.
At the scene, the police will conduct their investigation, reviewing and documenting information from different sources to determine why and how the crash happened.
Typically, the police will:
At the end of their investigation, the police will issue a police report and any citations to liable parties. The police report is critical to determine who was at fault and is needed as evidence to support your claim.
However, police may have an incomplete or even inaccurate portrayal of events. Insurers also may conduct their own investigations, which can come to conclusions that are unfavorable to your ability to reclaim compensation.
Your wrong-way accident lawyer can help you perform an investigation of your own, determining cause and fault while evaluating the full extent of damages you have suffered.
Local municipalities and the agencies responsible for maintaining the right of way are typically on top of road signage.
Although unlikely, it is possible that “wrong way” signs were missing or not visible at all, making it easy for a wrong-way driver to get confused and enter through the wrong side of the road. If there were missing signs, the agency responsible for the road maintenance and signage may held accountable for the crash.
A wrong-way crash is when one vehicle travels in the opposite direction of the traffic flow. These accidents can happen on local city roads but are more commonly found in limited access road corridors, like highways, and exclude roads that do not have medians.
Wrong-way driving happens more often than one would think. Between 2010 and 2018, 2,921 fatal wrong-way crash incidents occurred in the US.
Wrong-way driving is 100 times more likely to end in fatalities than other car accidents. In many of these cases, the wrong-way driver was not alone during the crash, resulting in an even higher death toll of 3,885 victims when counting passengers.
The most common causes of wrong-way accidents are:
The report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that driving under the influence and drivers of older age were at higher odds of causing a wrong-way accident. They also identified that it was more likely that a wrong-way accident occurred when the wrong-way driver was alone rather than with a passenger in their car.
Wrong-way crashes come with devastating results. Since they involve two cars coming toward each other at high speeds, the force of the crash is capable of totaling cars and fatally injuring all drivers and passengers involved.
Wrong-way crashes typically end in head-on collisions or sideswipe crashes.
Head-on collisions are seen most often in wrong-way crashes. Imagine two cars going toward each other at high speeds but will not see each other in time to get out of the way.
A driver can also be involved in a collision with a stationary object.
Some of the most common reasons for these crashes are because the driver is intoxicated, confused or distracted, tired, or just reckless while on the road. The injuries sustained by all involved are at a higher risk of creating life-long disabilities, scarring and deformities, or death.
Victims also endure:
Sideswipe crashes may not be as deadly as a head-on collision, but that does not mean that there won’t be significant injuries and losses because of them. A sideswipe accident is where two vehicles collide on adjacent sides of their cars.
The damage can be extensive, from the front fender to the back of the cars.
Although this kind of collision is typically seen where one driver fails to look before switching lanes, it happens in a wrong-way driving accident because one driver likely realized and attempted to get out of the way. The overall impact of the accident may cause more severe injuries, from TBIs to spinal trauma, broken bones, lacerations, and more.
Over the years, the amount of people hurt or involved in wrong-way driving has increased.
In response, the Connecticut governor announced the news of a new public awareness campaign intended to reduce the number of wrong-way crashes. The initiative will release $20 million of state funding for new technology to detect a wrong-way driver.
The flashing beacons will go off once they detect a wrong-way driver approaching, flashing bright LED lights to help notify them of their mistake. This technology will, at some point, be able to notify the police right away.
Although the governor’s initiative is an excellent start to preventing wrong-way crashes, as a driver who is on the road, there are some things you can do to help prevent these accidents.
Today, it is easier than ever to be distracted while driving. We have the use of our phones, our passengers, billboards, and more, taking our eyes off the road in front of us.
But when a wrong-way driver is coming right at you, you must make split-second decisions to get out of the way in time.
Although this might not always be possible if you see a wrong-way driver coming right for you, do what you can to get out of the way calmly. This can be jumping on the shoulder of the highway, another lane, or completely pulling over from the road to prevent a crash from happening.
If you are pulling off the road completely, do what you can to keep two of your tires on the asphalt to retain traction. Also, remember that it is better to hit a stationary object than a moving object coming towards you at high speeds.
Seatbelts over the decades have helped save many lives. As the road speed limits and the power of the cars have improved, wearing your seatbelt will help prevent you from being ejected from the car, hitting the frame, windows, and more in the event of a crash.
Car accidents are already terrifying situations to be in, but when they are caused by a negligent driver going the wrong way, the end result can be catastrophic.
Wrong-way drivers are not just reckless; they are often under the influence while on the road and enter the right of way with little regard for the lives they put at risk.
If you are the victim of a wrong-way crash, know you do not need to handle these alone. With the representation and years of experience, Bert McDowell Injury Law is here for you.
Talk to us about your case when you schedule your free initial consultation with our staff. Reach us by calling (203) 633-7449 or contact us online to schedule your free case review today.