Near Same Location as Deadly Wrong-Way Crash Last Year
Texas leads the country in many ways. But not all of them are good, like being #1 in the number of times a wrong-way crash happens. Sadly, 237 Texans die in these collisions each year and one of these easily preventable collisions just happened again. This time a driver sped down the wrong side of Jacksboro Highway near Lakeside and slammed head-on into another vehicle. The other driver was hospitalized and was lucky to survive.
There are several reasons why these idiotic wrong-way crashes happen. Usually of course it’s alcohol and/or drugs. But sometimes a driver is on medications, drowsy, easily confused, or elderly. And in crazy cases, these crashes happen when the driver is fleeing the police, as was the case earlier this year at almost the same location.
In all cases, we must do more to stop innocent motorists from being hurt.
Using Modern Technology to Reduce Their Frequency
Texas transportation authorities are taking steps reduce the number of wrong-way crashes. These techniques include sensors and related technological devices that notify law enforcement officers when a driver has entered a highway going the wrong way.
In Tarrant County, the Wrong-Way Crash Driving Mitigation Pilot Program is adding the following things to cut down on them:
- pavement markings in the travel lanes;
- enhanced signage with active detection units;
- optimized sign placement; and
- emergency notifications
Most dangerous roads in Fort Worth and Arlington
These are the area that are actively patrolled and monitored in Tarrant County: Try to avoid driving these roads late at night:
Fort Worth:
Interstate 30 – from Bridgewood Drive to University Drive
Interstate 35 North – from Spur 280 to Northside Drive
Jacksboro Highway – from Loop 820 to FM 730
Loop 820 West – from Old Decatur Road to Winscott Road
Loop 820 East – from Trinity Boulevard to I-20/287
Arlington:
State Highway 360 – from Pioneer Parkway to Trinity Boulevard
Interstate 30 – from SH 360 to Fielder Road
Wrong-way crashes are serious problems everywhere
It’s not like Texas is the only state where people do this. Other areas are using technology creatively to deal with this problem. For example, Arizona implemented 90 heat-detecting technological units along an interstate in Phoenix. Florida installed a system of cameras along the bridge between Tampa and St. Petersburg. Police are monitoring traffic in all states and can quickly respond to signs that someone is driving the wrong way.
Wrong-Way Crashes Often Mean Deaths or Serious Injuries
In the crash on Interstate Loop 820, no innocent drivers were hurt. But all too often, that isn’t the outcome. Half of wrong-way crashes end in fatalities since they are usually high speed and often head-on.
The fourth-deadliest vehicle accident in U.S. history took place because an extremely intoxicated man with a blood-alcohol content of 0.24 (three times the legal limit in Texas) drove the wrong way down a Kentucky interstate highway and crashed into a church bus, killing 24 children and three adults.
Most wrong-way crashes happen late at night. The fatal crash on the Jacksboro Highway took place at around 2:00 a.m. As a driver on a highway, your eyes at night are trained to spot taillights, not headlights. Seeing a vehicle hurtling directly toward you can be terrifying and startling.
If you have been injured by any driver, you need several things to get fully compensated for the harm you suffered: proof of the at-fault driver’s wrongful conduct, including accident reports, eyewitness statements, photographs, and scene investigations. If the driver was drunk or high, proof of that strengthens your case, so you’ll need to obtain evidence such as toxicology test results from exams performed on the driver, police files, criminal court investigation, etc. You also will need proof of your damages, including your medical bills, lost income and other information.
That probably sounds like a lot, right? That is just another reason why you need an experienced personal injury lawyer to fight for you. He will obtain all necessary evidence and prosecute your case with the other driver’s insurance company and take the case to trial if and when necessary.
Berenson Injury Law is here to help you
We have handled wrong-way crashes over the past almost 40 years and we only represent people hurt in car, truck and tractor-trailer accidents.
For your free case review, contact us today at 1-888-801-8585 or email us online.