A wrong-way crash on the Capital Beltway left one person dead and several people going to the hospital for their injuries.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident, but they did arrest the person who was traveling the wrong way. The state police, who are conducting the investigation, did not say why the accident occurred.
Authorities said that the driver traveling the wrong way struck two passenger vehicles, both of which had five motorists. A woman in one of the vehicles died, and the rest of the motorists suffered injuries. Three of those injured were children.
Victims and their families have legal options after a wrong-way accident
Unfortunately, wrong-way accidents are too common. While it may seem pretty obvious to most drivers that they need to travel with the other traffic, people can wind up heading the wrong way even on a major highway or interstate.
- A driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol can easily get confused and travel the wrong way.
- A driver who is easily distracted or too tired to drive safely may wind up traveling the wrong way.
- Sometimes, roads, on-ramps and off-ramps are confusing. Especially if they have a hard time seeing at night, drivers can get turned around. After all, in the overnight hours, there may not be other vehicles around.
- Once a driver is heading in the wrong direction, the may panic and find it difficult to correct their course.
The sad thing is that wrong-way accidents frequently end in a catastrophic injury or a fatality. This recent accident was no exception.
The emotional and financial fallout after a wrong-way accident is tremendous. A family may lose their source of income and at the same time be responsible for huge bills. They also have to deal with the loss of their loved one’s life or good health, which is an emotional trial.
It is only fair that the drivers who cause wrong-way accidents should be the ones to pay compensation for their losses.