The Price of Wrong Way Driving

For those of us who’ve never found ourselves driving the wrong way on a ramp or highway, it’s difficult to imagine the circumstances under which it could happen.  Yet wrong-way driving accidents are all too common, caused by driver distractions, being on unfamiliar roads, drinking and driving, and general confusion.  Sadly, these types of accidents are usually quite serious, and they often involve high speeds and head-on crashes.

Recent Incidents in Florida 

• When an inebriated Lexus driver took to Interstate 75 early one morning, he managed to find himself driving on the wrong side of the highway. That led to a head-on collision with a resident of Wesley Chapel who was driving a Chevy Colorado.  The Colorado spun around and settled in the median, where it burst into flames. Meanwhile the Lexus continued going the wrong direction in the middle lane and smashed into yet another vehicle being driven by a woman from Zephyrhills.  Both men survived with severe injuries, but the woman managed to escape with nary a scratch. It was not the first, and certainly not the last wrong-way driving incident in Florida, but was lucky in that it did not result in any fatalities. 

• After stealing a vehicle, Leosvany Roman sped away from authorities at 140 mph, going the wrong way on Skyway Bridge. Roman wound up colliding with another vehicle and killing two individuals before a patrol car blocked further escape.  Roman smashed into the patrol car, causing minor injuries to the officer, before being arrested.

• Interstate 4 was the scene of yet another wrong-way driver who was inebriated. The driver smashed into a Mercedes, causing a pickup truck to slam on the brakes to avoid the collision. However, the pickup was rear-ended by a flat-bed, which caused the pick-up to spin to the shoulder of the road, where it then banged into a tractor-trailer that was parked on the roadside. At that point the flat-bed flipped over and trapped the driver inside. Three drivers were hospitalized, and fortunately there were no fatalities.

• Another wrong-way driver on Interstate 10 smashed head-on into a motorcyclist, who then collided with a third vehicle. The wrong-way driver, meanwhile, sideswiped another vehicle. While none of the individuals in cars were injured, the motorcyclist was killed.

• And finally, a young man who’d recently graduated from Creekside High School was killed when a wrong-way driver collided into his Trailblazer on Old St. Augustine Road.

After an Accident 

If  you or a family member has been injured or killed in a wrong-way driving accident that was caused due to no fault of your own, the devastating consequences of the crash can be addressed through a personal injury lawsuit.  At Salazar & Kelly Law Group, our dedicated Kissimmee personal injury attorneys are prepared to fight for the damages you deserve to address medical bills, lost wages, and more.  To discuss, schedule a confidential consultation in our office today.