Wrong-way head on car crashes are a serious and sad reality in our society today. These accidents are typically caused by intoxicated, drunk, stoned or drugged motorists who do not realize they are travelling the wrong way. Typically, these reckless motorists are not just impaired, tipsy or buzzed drivers. They are usually hammered, wasted or nearly blacked out.

Wrong Way driver accident lawyer in Rhode Island

Drunk, wrong-way head-on accidents are tragic and deadly events that result from impaired driving and incorrect vehicle placement on the road. These accidents often have severe consequences, leading to loss of life, serious injuries, and extensive property damage. Here are some key points to understand about the deadly toll of these accidents:

1. Impaired Driving: Drunk driving is a leading cause of wrong-way accidents. Alcohol impairs a driver’s judgment, coordination, and reaction time, making it more likely for them to travel in the wrong direction on a highway or road.
2. Wrong-Way Driving: Wrong-way driving typically occurs when a vehicle travels in the opposite direction of the designated traffic flow, such as driving against oncoming traffic on a one-way road or highway. This can happen due to confusion, impaired judgment, or a driver’s inability to distinguish between the lanes.
3. Head-On Collisions: When a vehicle travels in the wrong direction and collides head-on with another vehicle, the impact is often severe. Head-on collisions result in some of the most deadly accidents due to the combined speed of the vehicles involved.
4. High Fatality Rates: Head-on collisions are associated with a high fatality rate because of the forces involved in the crash. In a head-on accident, the relative speeds of the vehicles are added together, leading to a significant impact.
5. Risk of Serious Injuries: Even if the accident doesn’t result in fatalities, it can still cause severe injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, and more. The victims of wrong-way head-on accidents often require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation.
6. Legal Consequences: Wrong-way driving and drunk driving are both illegal in most jurisdictions. Drivers who engage in these behaviors can face criminal charges, including DUI (Driving Under the Influence), reckless driving, and vehicular manslaughter, depending on the outcome of the accident.
7. Preventative Measures: Preventing drunk, wrong-way head-on accidents requires a combination of public awareness campaigns, law enforcement efforts, and improved infrastructure design. Sobriety checkpoints, strict DUI laws, and better signage can help deter impaired driving and reduce the occurrence of wrong-way accidents.
8. Design and Engineering: Roadway design and engineering can play a significant role in preventing wrong-way accidents. Measures such as clear signage, reflective markers, and physical barriers to prevent access to the wrong direction of travel can help reduce the likelihood of these accidents.
9. Public Awareness: Education and awareness campaigns can remind drivers of the dangers of drunk driving and the importance of remaining attentive while on the road. Public initiatives and organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) work to raise awareness about these issues.

Drunk, wrong-way head-on accidents are tragic

In summary, drunk, wrong-way head-on accidents are tragic events that result from impaired driving and incorrect vehicle placement on the road. They often lead to fatalities and serious injuries, and addressing this issue requires a multifaceted approach that includes legal consequences for impaired driving, better road design, and public education efforts to discourage drunk driving and wrong-way driving

Wrong way driving is particularly deadly when a vehicle is travelling opposing the lawful direction of traffic on a divided highway, or highway/ freeway exit ramp. If you were injured in a wrong –way vehicular wreck or a loved one died as a result of a head-on crash in Rhode Island or Massachusetts then it is important that you retain a good RI or MA Personal Injury Lawyer or Wrongful Death attorney. Thankfully, wrong way wrecks are very rare across the United States and in Rhode Island and Mass.  In a comprehensive study concerning wrong-way highway collisions, the National Transportation Safety Board (The NTSB) reports that “Wrong-way collisions occur relatively infrequently, accounting for only about 3 percent of accidents on high-speed divided highways,but they are much more likely to result in fatal and serious injuries than are other types of highway accidents.” ntsb  

Wrong way collision causing a fatality

There is also tremendous research indicating the increased likelihood of a wrong way collision causing a fatality. Providence Wrongful death attorneys and RI Personal injury Attorneys are well aware of the tragic and deadly consequences of wrong-way vehicular operation.  “A study in Virginia found the fatality rate for wrong-way collisions on controlled-access highways to be 27 times that of other types of accidents.” Id.

Fatal accidents: The deadly toll of wrong way motor vehicle travel:

• Research indicates that hundreds of fatal crash deaths are caused by wrong-way automobile and vehicle accidents. “On average, about 360 lives are lost each year in about 260 fatal wrong-way collisions.” Id.
• “A study in Michigan found that 22 percent of wrong-way collisions were fatal, compared to 0.3 percent for all highway accidents in the same time frame….The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) found a fatality rate 12 times greater compared to all other accidents on controlled-access highways.” Id.
• The interrelationship between drunk driving and head-on auto crashes simply cannot be ignored.  Too many accidents are caused by sloshed, obliterated and tanked motorist who drank too many alcohol beverages at a bars, parties, taverns or nightclub.

65 Percent of 20-39 year old wrong way Collisions Caused BY Drunk Driving!

• “With respect to alcohol involvement, data indicated that younger wrong-way drivers were much more likely to be alcohol-impaired than older wrong-way drivers. Sixty-five percent of 20- to 39-year-olds had a reported BAC of 0.08 or higher.” Id.
• Many wrong way accidents involve the following motor vehicles: motorcycle (Bike), bus, trucks, semi trucks, tractor trailer, vans and SUVS
• On February 28^th, 2014 there were two wrong way auto accidents in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
• On February 28^th at 3am a motorist was operating her motor vehicle going south on 95N in Pawtucket Rhode Island. The wrong way driver hit a SUV, killing a passenger and two others were injured in the collision. The wrong way driver was seriously injured in the car crash and was in critical condition
• According to channel 10 News, “Police said the vehicle was first spotted going the wrong way by other commuters in Providence near the junction of I-195 when she struck a Jersey barrier median and kept driving. She traveled some three miles from that spot before crashing into another vehicle.”  Channel 10 News.
• A few hours earlier, a Fall River Massachusetts resident was operating a motor vehicle on Route 195 in Somerset Ma. “Massachusetts State Police said Raymond Potvin, 79, of Fall River, was traveling west in the eastbound lanes when he hit another car and fled the scene. Three people were taken to a hospital. Potvin was arrested and charged with OUI.” Id.

Car slammed head-on into SUV

The United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration discussed a tragic accident in Seattle Washington: “About a mile down the freeway, Debra Acey, driving a 1997 sports utility vehicle (SUV), entered westbound I-90 going the wrong way. Seconds later, Fischer’s car slammed head-on into Acey’s SUV. The impact hurled both vehicles off the interstate in opposite directions, killing Klotz instantly and seriously injuring Fischer.” “As in most wrong-way crashes, investigators couldn’t determine exactly how and why Acey drove right past two large “Wrong Way, Do Not Enter” signs and entered the freeway going the wrong way. But one circumstance was certain: Acey’s blood-alcohol level was 0.30, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08. Prosecutors charged Acey, 44, with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault, the Seattle Times reported.”  FHWA  Wrong way accidents often have criminal implications and could lead to imprisonment especially if someone is killed in an automobile wreck.

Read the Rhode Island Drunk Driving Statute, § 31-27-2  Driving under influence of liquor or drugs,  here:

Legal Notice per Rules of Professional Responsibility: The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers and attorneys in the general practice of law, but does not license or certify any lawyer / attorney as an expert or specialist in any field of practice. While this firm maintains joint responsibility, most cases of this type are referred to other attorneys for principle responsibility.