Careful Motorists can monitor traffic from all sides and be ready for any threat from a bad driver. What motorists usually aren’t prepared for is seeing a vehicle heading straight for them on a one-way road. It’s a frightening sight that is often the result of a wrong-way driver.
Wrong-way drivers account for 300 to 400 traffic fatalities a year across the United States. That’s according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHA). These accidents are generally due to driver confusion and that confusion can often be fueled by drug and alcohol use.
The Washington Traffic Safety Division released its annual report and found that drivers under the influence of alcohol and over the .08 Blood Alcohol limit killed 135 people in accidents in a single year. Drivers who tested positive for drug use were involved in accidents that cost 200 lives across the state in the same year.
Wrong-Way Driver Injures Woman in Spokane
Over the weekend, a wrong-way driver struck another motorist near the Spokane International Airport. The Spokesman-Review reported the collision happened on State Route 2 Saturday evening on August 22, 2020.
The Washington State Patrol found that a 30-yr-old man was driving an SUV west on the Airport highway eastbound offramp when he crashed into another SUV driven by a 72-year-old woman. The woman was taken to the hospital with injuries.
The male driver wasn’t hurt but was taken to the hospital as a precaution. He faces charges of vehicular assault. Investigators believe drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash.
Wrong-Way Dangers for Spokane Drivers
Collisions caused by a wrong-way driver can be especially dangerous because they usually result in a head-on collision or an opposite direction sideswipe collision. The wrong-way drivers may not suspect something’s wrong and be accelerating. In a head-on collision, the speed of both vehicles is absorbed in the crash, doubling the force of impact.
A victim can face devastating injuries in these accidents. The risk for traumatic brain injuries increases in any head-on collision. The injuries can also involve broken bones, chest compressions, organ damage, and even damage caused by the airbags in place to protect you.
The driver hurt in a wrong-way crash may face a long, expensive recovery. Filing a claim for damages against the at-fault driver will likely be the only way to get full compensation for all of the physical, emotional, and financial damages that a victim endures. A civil suit can force a driver’s insurance to cover expenses for things medical bills and future rehabilitation, the lost wages from missed work, travel costs for treatment, and physical and mental anguish.
In Washington, car accident victims have up to three years to file a claim to recover some of the costs left in the wake of a collision. The driver who is to blame for the accident may also be facing criminal charges, but your civil case to collect damages can move forward even if the criminal trial is ongoing.
Contact a Spokane Wrong-Way Accident Lawyer
Established in Spokane in 1948, Crary, Clark, Domanico, & Chuang, P.S. is committed to providing our clients with the absolute highest quality legal representation. If our Spokane Wrong-Way Accident Lawyers represent you for your accident case, you have our assurance that we will use our absolute best efforts to win your case. Contact us after any accident resulting in a serious injury for a free, confidential consultation and case evaluation. We will only offer you advice which is in your best interest.
