Reason for Head-On Collision Undetermined
A driver travelling north in the southbound lane of Interstate 45 caused a tragic head-on collision that killed three people on Monday morning. The accident occurred at 11:00 about 50 miles southeast of Dallas near Corsicana.
78 year-old James Edward Warren was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck when he collided head-on with a black Nissan Pathfinder SUV. The impact knocked the SUV onto its side and two other cars hit the vehicle.
Two adults and six children were riding in the SUV and police say none were wearing seat belts and one child was thrown from the vehicle. Warren and the driver of the SUV both died instantly. A 14 year-old child died at the crash scene. Six other people were airlifted to Dallas hospitals for treatment of their injuries.
Crash investigators don’t yet know why Mr. Warren was driving the wrong way on I-45, but say alcohol does not appear to be a factor. What does that leave then as the cause?
Contributing Factors in Wrong Way Accidents
Wrong way accidents occur when a vehicle crosses the centerline or a median that divides lanes of traffic travelling in opposite directions or when a driver enters a roadway in the wrong direction. Common reasons drivers are on the wrong side of the roadway include:
- Drunk driving
- Intentionally passing a slower car
- Distracted driving and inattention
- Texting or talking on a phone while driving
- Falling asleep at the wheel
- Sliding on wet or icy roads
- Suffering a physical illness or dementia
- Being unfamiliar with the area
- Losing bearings because of infrastructure insufficiency
Preventing Head-On Collisions
Texas — and the Dallas-Fort Worth area in particular — have had a higher number of head-on collisions recently that have resulted in serious injuries and fatalities. Head-on crashes are often deadly because of the combined speeds and force of the two vehicles colliding. The Department of Transportation and lawmakers should do more to prevent head-on collisions, such as:
- Building wider medians between opposite moving traffic
- Installing cable barriers that deflect vehicles from entering opposite moving lane
- Using clear signage and flashing lights to alert drivers who are entering a highway in the wrong direction
- Passing stricter DWI and texting while driving laws to reduce incidents of driver intoxication and inattention
- Enforcing strong hours of service regulations for commercial drivers to prevent tired driving-related crashes
Berenson Law Firm Offers Free Wrong Way Accident Case Evaluations in DFW Area
If you have been hit by a wrong-way driver on a Dallas-Fort Worth roadway, call Berenson Law Firm for a free case evaluation by calling our office at 817.885.8000.
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