Wrong-Way Crash on I-10
On the night of October 21, there was a wrong-way crash on I-10, on the northwest side of San Antonio, where a car struck another near Vance Jackson Road. After the collision, the wrong-way driver fled on foot, being apprehended later on further down Vance Jackson Road. While no serious injuries were reported, alcohol is said to have been a factor, and as such, the driver will almost certainly be prosecuted. Both drivers were quite lucky to sustain no major injuries, as very often wrong-way collisions can cause severe injuries and even death.
Many Wrong-Way Collisions Involve Alcohol
Unlike many other types of collision, alcohol often plays a major role in wrong-way crashes. Statistics from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) show that in fatal collisions on divided highways, the number of wrong-way drivers who had ‘shown signs of alcohol use’ was approximately 60 percent. Also, approximately 60 percent of wrong-way drivers in the sample had a blood alcohol content level of 0.15 or more at the time of their accident – which is, in most states (Texas included), significantly over the legal limit to be considered drunk.
Wrong-way collisions are also much, much more common during night hours, which can also argue toward alcohol being a major factor. However, other conditions obviously can play a role, including poorly lit roads, traffic patterns and general driver error (that is, driver behaviors that do not have anything to do with substance abuse). If you have been injured in a wrong-way collision, you should not obviously assume that the other driver was intoxicated, but you should perhaps be aware that it is plausible or even common.
Potential Insurance Problems
A wrong-way collision can be very severe, leaving you with high medical bills and other costs such as lost wages, pain and suffering, and loss of marital companionship. Texas law requires at least $30,000/$60,000 worth of liability insurance, but if you have bills over that limit, you are able to bring suit against an allegedly negligent driver to make up the difference – Texas is not a no-fault state, so the court option is available to you.
Be advised that if the driver who struck you is found to have been intoxicated at the time, you may be able to allege something in your suit called negligence per se. Negligence per se occurs when someone breaks a law and injures someone that law was supposed to protect – in other words, that person’s negligence can be inferred because they broke the law. If someone is driving while intoxicated, and causes an accident, they have injured a person that the law against drunk driving is meant to protect (other motorists and people on the road).
Ask an Experienced Attorney for Help
Wrong-way collisions require an experienced lawyer to handle them because so much is at stake. If you have been hurt by a wrong-way driver, call the Bettersworth Law Firm. Our skilled New Braunfels auto accident attorneys will sit down with you and try to help you decide how best to pursue your case. Call our office today at 888-392-0039 to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
https://www.ksat.com/news/dwi-suspected-in-wrong-way-crash-on-i-10-police-say
https://tdi.texas.gov/pubs/consumer/cb020.html
https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-studies/Documents/SIR1201.pdf
