In a tragic accident in Miami last month, a motorcyclist lost his life when he was hit head-on by a motorist who was driving the wrong way on the highway. According to a report by CBS Miami, the accident occurred on Interstate 95 just north of the Dolphin Expressway on the evening of Saturday, July 19.
Evidently, a driver of a 2013 Acura was driving north in the southbound lanes of traffic on I-95. It appears the Acura first crashed head-on with the motorcycle, sending the biker through the windshield and into the back of the car. After the initial collision, the driver of a Dodge Ram tried to swerve to avoid an accident with the Acura. However, he was clipped by the front of the Acura and sustained significant damage to his vehicle.
The driver of the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Dodge was also hurt, although only with minor injuries. Investigators have not completed the investigation and cannot therefore rule out the possibility that drugs or alcohol were involved in the fatal accident.
Wrong-Way Crashes
Wrong-way crashes are often some of the most dangerous accidents because most of them end up resulting in head-on collisions. Due to the force involved and the angle of collision, head-on accidents often result in death or serious injury. The chance of death is greatly multiplied when a vehicle involved is a motorcycle.
Wrong-way accidents don’t often happen without one driver’s negligence. While it is possible that a road sign has fallen down or a lane was mislabeled, in which case the city or state government may be liable, most often head-on collisions are caused by distracted or drunk driving. Why else would someone decide to drive into oncoming traffic?
Determining Liability in Wrong-Way Accidents
As mentioned above, most often the fault in a wrong-way accident lies with the motorist who was traveling the wrong way. However, there are rare exceptions to that general rule, such as mismarked or poor signage, construction zone mistakes, and others.
In most cases, the driver who was traveling in the proper lane is nothing but an innocent victim of another person’s negligence and should have the opportunity to recover for his or her injuries from anyone who was at fault.
Have You Been Injured in a Wrong-Way Accident?
If you or a loved one has recently been involved in a head-on collision that was caused by another driver going the wrong way on a one-way street, you may be entitled to monetary damages. All drivers have a duty to follow the rules of the road, and when a driver causes harm by violating this duty he or she can be held responsible in a Florida court of law. To learn more about Florida personal injury cases, and to get a free case evaluation, click here, or call 352-387-8700 today to meet with a dedicated Florida accident attorney.
More Blog Posts:
Florida Court Explains When the Procedural Requirements for Medical Malpractice Cases Apply, Ocala Injury Lawyers Blog, published May 29, 2014.
Police Identify Hit-and-Run Driver Responsible for the Deaths of Three Single Mothers, Ocala Injury Lawyers Blog, published July 31, 2014.