Jason Pierce, 39, of Roanoke died Saturday night in a wrong way crash on I-81. According to Virginia State Police, Mr. Pierce was driving a Nissan Frontier pick up truck south on I-81 in the Southbound lanes when a Subaru Forester struck his vehicle head on. The accident happened in Augusta County, Virginia near mile marker 218. The driver of the Subaru, Jennifer Nichols, also 39, of Birmingham, Alabama was seriously injured in the crash and was transported to UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville, VA.
Wrong Way Crashes Only Make Up 3% of Highway Crashes
That may sound like a statistic we can live with, but it clearly isn’t. Because Wrong Way Crashes are more likely to result in fatalities or severe, catastrophic injuries to the people involved in the accident. Wrong Way Interstate Crashes almost always involve a high speed head-on collision. This type of accident was studied by The Virginia Department of Transportation in its 1973 report titled, “Measures for Preventing Wrong Way Entries on Highways”. The study found that a wrong way interstate or highway crash was 27 times more likely to result in a fatality than other crashes on the state’s highways.
Why Do These Accidents Occur?
Multiple highway safety organizations have studied this particular phenomena and have concluded that these are the most common reasons why wrong way crashes occur:
- DUI (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol)
- Driver Distraction (eating, drinking, use of a cellphone, texting, or conversing with a passenger)
- Poorly marked entrance ramps.
- Poorly marked roadways.
- Disoriented Driver (Lost)
- Drowsy Driver
*An estimated 50-70% of these accidents are due to DUI.
How Can I Protect Myself from Becoming a Victim of Wrongful Death in a Wrong Way Accident?
Drivers who mistakenly enter a highway going the wrong direction will often drive in the left lane, because they perceive that they are driving in the right lane. So to avoid them, use the left lane only to pass a slower vehicle. This behavior will also keep you in compliance with Virginia’s Left Lane Laggard Law. Another strategy you may employ is to stay alert when driving. Keep yourself free of distraction and make sure that you are not too tired to drive. Staying alert will allow you to consistently scan the roadway, especially traffic ahead of you to determine if anything is amiss.
There May Be No Way to Avoid a Head-On Collision
Being prepared for any accident to happen is another thing you can do to help protect your family from severe injury or death in a wrong way head on collision. Remember to make the best use of your vehicle’s safety features. All passengers should sit in the upright position with the seatbelt engaged. Young children should be seated in properly installed age-appropriate car seats. Older children should sit the back seat. Drivers should be positioned so that airbags can be deployed with maximum efficacy.
What Do I Do if it Happens to Me or Someone in My Family
After seeking medical treatment, call an attorney immediately. Wrong way crashes on interstate highways are investigated by the Virginia State Police and typically involve horrendous property damage as well as fatalities and severe injuries The defendant’s insurance company will contact you quickly and will want to settle the claim as fast as they can. Once you are represented by an attorney, you can simply refer them to your lawyer and focus on healing yourself and your family. Your attorney can also get the accident report and medical records for you. Your attorney will also examine your policy to determine medical payments coverage as well as evaluate the amount of compensation you may be entitled to you and file your lawsuit in the appropriate court. In other words, your Roanoke car accident lawyer can do all of things that need to be done to help you move forward after a serious car accident.
