Not only is it illegal for a motorist to drive the wrong way down a divided highway, but it is incredibly dangerous. Because most freeways have signs that clearly indicate whether a driver is travelling the wrong way, there is no excuse for a driving into on-coming traffic on the interstate. Sadly, when drivers do end up going the wrong way, they put all other motorists at risk for a potentially serious car crash.
A recent accident in Louisiana has left four men dead and exemplifies how dangerous wrong-way, head-on collisions can be. The accident happened in the early-morning hours as a Jeep Grand Cherokee drove east on Interstate 10 West near LaPlace, Louisiana. Police had just received word of a wrong-way driver when the motorist smashed into a car with four people in it.
It is unknown how fast the two cars were going, but the collision was severe enough that the driver and all three passengers were killed instantly. In the moments following the initial crash, a semitrailer then slammed into the vehicles and another driver then hit the truck. Luckily, both the trucker and the driver of the fourth vehicle escaped with relatively minor injuries.
Police are still investigating the accident, including where the wrong-way driver entered the interstate. Once police are able to identify the driver and complete an autopsy, the families of the four men killed can file wrongful death lawsuits against the wrong-way driver’s estate. While the lawsuits won’t bring back their dead loved ones, they may help the families heal from such a devastating accident.
Source: The Washington Post, “Trooper: 5 killed in wrong0way crash on Interstate 10 in Louisiana outside New Orleans,” Feb. 10, 2012
