All car crashes are potentially expensive in many ways, but Riverside County has recently seen some of the costliest kind, in terms of both the financial impact and the effect on people’s lives. We’re referring to wrong-way crashes, which are especially dangerous because the victims often have little or no warning. There have been two high-profile crashes caused by wrong-way drivers in our area already this year.
Corona Wrong-Way Injures Seven
One happened on the I-91 in Corona around 2:20 a.m. on March 19. A driver entered the eastbound lanes of the highway and drove west for around six miles before colliding head-on with another car. Four other vehicles were also struck. Six other motorists were injured and sent to area hospitals with minor to moderate injuries while the wrong-way driver was reported to have suffered major injuries. That driver is suspected of driving under the influence.
Three Hurt in 215 Wrong-Way Crash
Only one week later, on March 26, police received reports of a vehicle traveling the wrong way on the 215 in Riverside. Before they could respond, that vehicle struck another. The wrong-way driver was seriously injured, and two people in the car that was struck suffered critical injuries and could only be freed from the wreck using the Jaws of Life. It’s not known if drugs or alcohol were a factor in that crash, but the possibility is being investigated.
Ten Miles on the Wrong Side!
It was also in March that another wrong-way driver was arraigned for an incident last November that—fortunately—ended with no injuries. In that case, the driver travelled an astonishing ten miles southbound on the northbound side of the 215, ignoring Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies and CHP officers who tried to get him to stop. He may have briefly reached a speed of 100 mph during the pursuit and only stopped when he encountered construction barriers. He has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of drugs.
Uncommon, but Deadly
Wrong-way crashes are uncommon, relatively speaking: They make up only about 3 percent of all crashes. But an analysis last year by the Boston Globe collected some disturbing facts about wrong-way crashes. For one thing, they’re as much as twenty-seven times more likely to cause a fatality than other types of crashes.
They’re also more likely to happen in off hours (between midnight and 3 a.m., with most on weekends). Perhaps most worrisome of all, the drivers who cause them are more likely than those in other crashes to not be properly licensed, and in fatal crashes alcohol is involved at more than double the rate seen in other kinds of crashes.
The statistics are out of date, but a 2012 report from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration found that between 300 and 400 people die each year in this type of crash.
Riverside Car Accident Lawyer
When you’ve been the victim of a crash caused by a wrong-way driver, or by any other careless or negligent driving, you could have serious expenses, from the replacement cost of your vehicle to lost wages and income to steep medical bills and expensive long-term treatment or rehabilitation.
Get in touch with a firm with experience in the practice of automobile accident law. Kohan & Bablove, Injury Attorneys has helped many clients recover the damages they’re entitled to. Give us a call today at 1-844-404-2400 or contact us online through the form below to find out if we can help. The consultation to discuss your case is always free—you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
