Crossing the center line leads to many car accidents

Wrong-way crashes may not happen as often as other types of wrecks, but they often result in catastrophic results. The media may focus on the more sensational wrong-way car accidents that occur on interstates and highways across the country, including those here in Ohio. Sadly, many of these accidents occur on rural roadways that have only a yellow line separating the two directions of travel.Illustrating this point is a wreck that happened in the early morning hours of a recent Friday. It was just shortly after 4:30 a.m. on Ohio Route 7 when a passenger vehicle strayed across the center line into the oncoming lane of travel. Already in the lane was an 18-wheeler, and the driver had no way to prevent the other vehicle from colliding with the mammoth vehicle’s rear trailer wheels and axles.When police arrived at the scene and examined the wreckage, they discovered an 18-year-old passenger who succumbed to fatal injuries at the scene. The 25-year-old driver of that car survived the crash with serious injuries. His injuries required emergency responders to call in a helicopter to remove him from the scene and take him to a hospital where he could receive the appropriate care.At last report, the factors that led to this tragedy were not yet revealed. The factors that led to the crash may help the deceased victim’s family establish negligence in a wrongful death claim. Successfully proving negligence could lead to an award of damages seen in other fatal car accidents.