Drunk driving in combination with wrong-way driving can lead to catastrophic events should a collision occur. Head-on car accidents can be very damaging, and oftentimes a person is lucky just to have survived such a crash. However, those who are fortunate enough to survive such wrecks could still experience significant injuries that could last a lifetime. Therefore, it is important for Texans to recognize their legal rights, as they may be able to take action to impose liability and recover compensation for damages that have been unfairly thrust upon them.
According to some experts, Houston has a significant wrong-way drunk driving problem, too. For example, a 22-year-old woman was recently arrested after driving the wrong way on Interstate 45 North. The incident was recorded on video. The woman was apparently drunk when the incident took place. Fortunately, no one was injured in that incident.
However, that was the second-wrong way arrest of a suspected drunk driver to take place on a major roadway in Houston in less than a week. In another incident, an apparently intoxicated woman was driving the wrong way on the Pierce Elevated when she collided with two other motorists. Two people in the vehicles she crashed into suffered serious injuries. And, in one very tragic incident back in 2012, a 24-year-old drunk motorist was driving the wrong way on I-45 when she struck another vehicle. Two teenagers lost their lives in that crash, and a third person suffered severe injuries. In the woman’s criminal trial, evidence was submitted showing that the woman drank more than 12 shots of liquor and a number of beers the night of the crash.
The majority of on-ramps on Houston-area highways are equipped with “wrong way” signs. However, if a person is drunk, they may not notice these signs. Drunk driving and wrong-way driving are both breaches of a motorist’s legal duty to drive with due care, but when combined they have the potential to cause devastating accidents. This is especially true if a wrong-way drunk driver travels at a high rate of speed when he or she collides with another motorist. Those who have been injured in accidents caused by wrong-way drivers or drunk drivers, or their family if a victim died in the crash, will want to explore whether plaintiff litigation is option for holding the responsible driver liable in civil court.
