Iowa State Patrol Fatality Reports for Saturday, March 5, 2011 on I-29 Wrong-way Accident.

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3/5/2011
Steve Lombardi
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Iowa State Patrol Fatality Reports for Saturday, March 5, 2011 on I-29 Wrong-way Accident.

Today we have two fatal car crashes; one in Cedar County on March 3^rd and the other in Woodbury County on February 21, 2011. Let's talk about the Woodbury one first.

It occurred on February 21, 2011 at 10:28 p.m. in the southbound/westbound stretch of I-29. It's a two-vehicle accident involving a very young lady, 17-year-old Mary Hughes of Salix driving a 2003 Oldsmobile Alero and 23-year-old Ryan Marx driving a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. The weather is cloudy, the roadway dark but seemingly clear on a stretch of highway that is unlighted. This young driver in the Alero for some unknown reason was driving on the wrong-side of the interstate. She was driving southbound in the northbound lanes. At about the 130.5 mile marker the car and the truck hit head-on killing this young girl.

There isn't much to say about this one. Liability seems clearly pointing towards the wrong-way driver and in favor of the pickup truck driver. I've been studying wrong-way drivers now for several years, read hundreds if not over a thousand accident or crash news reports and have come up with the how to guide about avoiding them, not being a wrong-way driver and what to look for to stay safe. They are terrible accidents with very sad outcomes, what can I say.

Out of respect for the families involved I'll cover this first accident from Cedar County in another blog. Follow this link to read it.

Crash:

Minimal Reports

A crash occurred in Cedar County on March 3, 2011

VEHICLE # 1 WAS SOUTHBOUND ON FRANKLIN AVE AND FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON STOPPED ON THE RAILROAD GRADE CROSSING A UNION PACIFIC RAILWAY TRAIN EASTBOUND IMPACTED THE PASSENGER SIDE OF VEHICLE # 1 THIS ACCIDENT REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE IOWA STATE PATROL.

Full Reports

A crash occurred in Woodbury County on February 21, 2011

UNIT 1 WAS SOUTHBOUND ON INTERSTATE 29 IN THE NORTHBOUND LANES AT APPROXIMATELY MILE MARKER 134. CALLS WERE COMING IN OF THE VEHICLE TRAVELING THE WRONG WAY. UNIT 2, A PICKUP PULLING A UTILITY TRAILER, WAS NORTHBOUND ON INTERSTATE 29. UNIT 1 STRUCK UNIT 2 HEAD ON AT ABOUT THE 130.5 MILE MARKER. BOTH VEHICLES CAME TO REST IN THE MEDIAN.

Any questions about the crash report may be directed to the following address:
Iowa State Patrol District 04 Office
3710 Highway 30 E
Denison, IA 51442-7560
Phone: (712) 263-4621
Fax: (712) 263-2325

Blog for I-35 I-80 I-235 I-380 Collisions/Accidents

Iowa Interstate Highway Collisions or Accidents for January 3, 2011

Category: I-35 I-80 I-235 I-380 Collisions/Accidents

Labels: attorney collisions death highway I-235 I-29 I-35 I-380 I-80 injury Interstate iowa Iowa State Patrol lawyer Lombardi negligence reports safety wrong-way wrong-way collisions

Wrong-way drivers are causing deaths in America’s interstate highway system all across the United States. Wrong-way collisions can have several causes and there are things we can do to educate ourselves from being involved in one. With two vehicles traveling towards one another at 70 mph death is almost certain. So what can you do to avoid being in one?

For several months I’ve collected news items on wrong-way collisions and have analyzed where, when and how they occurred. There have been so many that I can only cover the month of July for 2009 and that is enough to provide us with 70 separate wrong-way collisions from hundreds of news stories. From these news reported collisions that here are the general causes and how we can avoid being one of those who die from a wrong-way driver coming towards us at 50 to 70 mph.

About wrong-way drivers

Wrong way drivers present an obvious danger to all motorists on our highways.

The most recent available crash statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates wrong way drivers are involved in 1.5 percent of all fatal crashes.

Drivers who travel the wrong way on one way highways generally fall into one of our different categories:

Intoxicated driver
Older drivers who easily get confused
Purposeful acts including attempts to commit suicide and criminals attempting to elude the police
Inattentive drivers who mistake an off-ramp for an on-ramp
Mental defect or disease
Prescription drug intoxication
Inexperience
GPS providing incorrect, inaccurate or confusing information

Safety tips and information related to wrong way driver situations:

Watch far ahead for signs of a possible wrong way driver, looking for signs similar to pending problems or developing emergency situations such as other traffic braking or swerving to avoid something, or the obvious - headlights coming in the opposite direction.
Caution against driving long periods in the left lane on freeways, especially on curves and over a hill or any rise in the road where you aren’t able to clearly see ahead.
Be aware that wrong way drivers usually drive in the passing lane believing they are actually on a two-lane highway.
The most common types of wrong way crashes are head-on or sideswipe crashes.

What should you do if you see a wrong-way driver?

· Get to the shoulder and stop.

· If you can’t get to the shoulder, slow down and attempt to safely stop your vehicle by pulling to the right.

· Sound your horn.

· Put on your lights and flash the high beams.

· Call 9-1-1.

· Before getting in the car wear your seat belts.

· Drive in the right hand lane of travel on the Interstate.

· When passing or coming to the crest of a hill look ahead for a wrong-way driver making sure the lane is clear.

· Assume when in the left hand lane of a divided highway that you may come upon a wrong-way driver.

· When driving on a divided highway stay vigilant and pay attention to what is ahead of you. Avoid allowing distractions to take your attention off the road ahead.

How can drivers avoid wrong-way driving?

· Don’t drive drunk.

· When coming to a divided highway come to a complete stop, look at and read the signs, making sure you know which way to go.

· Don’t allow vehicles to the rear to rush you.

· Stay off the telephone when driving.

· Don’t allow distractions to interfere with being vigilant about your driving.

· If you’re a young driver, don’t drive when the other passengers are a distraction.

· If you’re an elderly driver, get evaluated once a year to see if your senses and skill level allow you to safely drive. Don’t be so stubborn about giving up your driver’s license that you ignore the signs of perception difficulties. Invest in and use a GPS.