Wrong-way Collision Day – February 24, 2011

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2/24/2011
Steve Lombardi
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Wrong-way Collision Day – February 24, 2011

Once again it's wrong-way day here at the Lombardi Law Firm. I've picked up on many more wrong-way drivers and collisions from around the nation. Today we post as many of those news stories as we are able to find. At the end of the post in the footer you'll find a list of all the reasons, causes, safety recommendations and avoidance ideas that I've come up with after spending the last several years following these collisions. Of course the number one reason is alcohol related driving. Impaired driving is the number one cause.

Elderly wrong-way driver causes freeway pileup
KTLA
An 83-year-old wrong-way driver caused a four-vehicle pileup that closed northbound lanes of Interstate 5 for about two hours Friday, the California Highway ...
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University of Utah track team bus slammed by wrong way driver on I-84
KBOI-TV
"He was doing a flip-flop over the median and I just reacted, put on the brakes and tried to swerve out of the way," bus driver Dennis Woodbery said. ...
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Wrong-Way Driver Going Up To 90MPH On I-5 Hits Gas Truck
KGTV San Diego
The driver of the wrong-way 2007 Ford F-150 was identified as 83-year-old Clarence Kinney. "The elderly gentleman hit the concrete center divider. ...
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Woman killed after wrong-way crash
WGNtv.com
Police said a wrong-way driver crashed head-on into two other vehicles on I-394 this morning, killing a woman and injuring several other people. ...
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Wrong-Way Driver Led Cops on Chase
FOX 4 News
COM FORT WORTH - A North Texas driver ignored flashing lights and orders to pull over as he drove the wrong way for miles on several freeways for over a ...
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Area briefs: Wrong-way driver leads half-hour chase
Fort Worth Star Telegram
FORT WORTH -- A North Richland Hills man drove the wrong way for miles on two freeways for nearly a half-hour early Monday, even after spikes were used to ...
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Drunken driver suspected in wrong-way wreck
WRAL.com
Police said that a suspected drunken driver went the wrong way on the road shortly before 9 pm and struck another SUV head-on. Two sets of traffic lights ...
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Flashing lights blink 'Wrong Way' in downtown Vancouver
The Columbian
Last year, in January, a wrong-way driver traveling east in the westbound lanes of Highway 14 was killed in a wreck that seriously injured a Camas woman. ...
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Wrong-way crash kills two
Press-Enterprise
A 28-year-old wrong-way driver from Bloomington caused a predawn collision that killed him and the motorist he hit, according to California Highway Patrol ...
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Municipal Worker Blamed For Deadly Suburban Crash « CBS Chicago
By Adam Harrington
A passenger in one of the two vehicles struck by the wrong-way driver - identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office as Malikah Little, 32, of the 5600 block of South Sacramento Avenue - was killed, Illinois State Police ...
CBS Chicago - http://chicago.cbslocal.com/

I need to know What say you deported illegal Mexican returns to ...
By Editor
SAN DIEGO - A drunken wrong-way driver who caused the death of a sheriff's deputy who tried to stop him was sentenced Friday to seven years and eight months in prison, a term some of the deputy's supporters said was too low. ...
Dui Criminal - http://dui-criminal.com/

Wrong way driver killed in crash on south side
Fox 59
Police received reports of an erratic wrong way driver driving a teal 2000 Toyota Corolla going southbound in the northbound lanes of State Road 37 just ...
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Quick thinking cops stop wrong-way driver in Clarington
Newsdurhamregion.com
CLARINGTON -- Quick action by Durham police prevented disaster Thursday night, after a man began driving the wrong way on Hwy. 115 in Clarington. ...
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Wrong-Way Head-On Crash On I-395 Kills Driver
WPLG Miami
MIAMI -- A driver died Friday morning in a head-on collision that happened after a vehicle drove the wrong way on Interstate 395, according to the Florida ...
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Not-guilty plea in deadly wrong-way crash
OCRegister
Minutes before the collision, several motorists had called 911 to report a wrong-way driver in the carpool lane. Fragoso sustained major injuries, ...
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Wrong-way crash leaves 1 dead
7Online WSVN-TV
At this point, investigators are unsure which driver was headed in the wrong direction. The interstate had to be shut down for hours as crews worked to ...
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Fatal crash closes SR 37 for several hours
WTHR
Indianapolis - Police say a wrong-way driver is responsible for a deadly crash that closed down a portion of State Road 37 on the south side Friday morning. ...
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Wrong-Way Crash on LIE Leads to Murder Indictment
Patch.com
Juan Cruz, 28, of Deer Park, stands accused in the September drunk driving crash after he drove for 12 miles the wrong way on the LIE, reaching speeds of ...
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Driver arrested after high speed chase across Eastside
KOMO News
At one point the driver was even going the wrong way on I-90. Deputies finally brought the chase to an end back in Bellevue when they put spike strips in ...
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Motorist with medical emergency travels wrong way on highway
Guelph Mercury
Police caught up to the driver on Highway 115, about 25 kilometres east of Oshawa, still travelling in the wrong lanes. Officers stopped traffic and as the ...
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Wrong-Way I-670 Driver Collides With Police Cruiser | WBNS-10TV ...
The damaged police cruiser. The other vehicle involved in the crash. Wrong-Way I -670 Driver Collides With Police Cruiser. Friday, February 11, 2011 1:56 AM. Updated: Friday, February 11, 2011 6:55 PM. WBNS-10TV. Video · Slideshow ...
WBNS 10TV Feed - http://www.10tv.com/live/content/

VIDEO: 83 Y.O. Drives Ford F-150 on the Opposite Side of the ...
By John @ Carscoop
The police reported that the 83 year-old driver of the F-150 was cited for driving the wrong way as well as for driving on a suspended license., adding that his driving privileges will be examined by the DMV. Via: Signon Sandiego ...
Carscoop - http://carscoop.blogspot.com/

Head-On MacArthur Causeway Crash Kills 1 « CBS Miami
By cbs4kripalani
MIAMI - (CBS4) - A car in the wrong lane is being blamed for an early-morning head-on crash on MacArthur Causeway (I-395) that snarled traffic and left one person dead, and another driver in critical condition. .... Regardless, put yourself in the shoes of either of those two guy's families and friends. it's a tragedy either way. Two people lost their life - one literally and the other, if he survives, will probably go to jail and have to live forever knowing he killed ...
CBS Miami - http://miami.cbslocal.com/

KTLA: Shocking Video of Wrong-Way Driver Crash on I-5 -- ktla.com
Shocking video of a man driving the wrong-way on Interstate 5 near Oceanside. News Videos. Local News ... KTLA: Shocking Video of Wrong-Way Driver Cras. ...
www.ktla.com/.../KTLA-Shocking-Video-of-Wrong-Way-Dri...

CPD Cruiser Hit In Near Head-On Crash With Wrong-Way Driver
NBC4i.com
The officer involved was traveling westbound on I-670 when another driver, allegedly going the wrong way, slammed her vehicle into his cruiser in a near ...
Category: Wrong-way Interstate and Highway Collisions in Iowa

Labels: attorney collisions death highway I-235 I-35 I-380 I-80 injury Interstate lawyer Lombardi negligence safety wrong-way

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.