A wrong-way crash on Nevada’s Interstate 15 (I-15) earlier in 2022 resulted in the deaths of four people. In this accident, a sedan was traveling the wrong-way on I-15 and crashed head-on into a pickup truck. The majority of wrong-way crashes happen at nighttime. The driver of the sedan and everyone in the truck died due to the collision. If you or someone you know encounters a wrong-way driver, you may not know what to do in such a situation. Below we will briefly discuss how to handle such a dangerous scenario.
Understanding a Wrong-Way Crash
A wrong-way accident can be defined as a collision that occurs when a car traveling in the direction that is opposite of the legal flow of traffic on an access ramp or high-speed highway crashes into a vehicle on the same roadway traveling in the legally correct direction. Not surprisingly, wrong-way crashes tend to cause more severe injuries, property damage, and even deaths because these collisions tend to occur at high speeds. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), there were over 36,000 wrong-way crash deaths in 2019 in the United States. While even the most responsible drivers can end up driving the wrong way on the road, there are some tips you can follow to keep yourself safe if you are ever in such a situation with a wrong-way driver.
While encountering a wrong-way driver is a terrifying situation, the best thing to do is to stay calm. Take some breaths to keep yourself in control, do not remove your hands from the steering wheel, and use some defensive driving techniques including:
- Steering Away – When facing a wrong-way driver, your main focus must be to avoid the vehicle. When you do so, make sure your maneuvers are as safe as possible; do not jerk your steering wheel to make your car go off the road or into another lane. Be sure to look first before moving your car out of the wrong-way driver’s path and choose the best way to get out to avoid a head-on crash;
- Calling 9-11 – Once you have gotten yourself to a safe spot away from the wrong-way driver, be sure to immediately call 9-1-1. This is because the wrong-way driver is not just a danger to you but anyone else on the road. The operator will likely ask you for more details about the circumstances including the wrong-way vehicle’s make, model, and color, as well as location, direction traveling, and last place you saw the car;
- Alert the Wrong-Way Driver – A wrong-way driver may not know that they are traveling the wrong way on the road. If you can, try to alert the driver, but do not attempt this while you are in the vehicle’s path. Instead, only do this if you can do so in a safe manner. You can honk your car’s horn, wave your hands, or flash your vehicle’s lights.
Our Attorneys Can Help
Wrong-way crashes can have devastating results. If you or someone you care about has been hurt in a Nevada wrong-way accident or any other type of accident, contact the experienced personal injury lawyers at H&P Law. Our firm has fought hard for accident victims in Las Vegas and the greater Nevada area. Contact us today for your initial case evaluation.
