Car accidents that cause the most severe injuries are often those that happen at high speeds. Accidents on the interstate are relatively rare because traffic is moving in the same direction and cars are on a divided highway, but they can be very catastrophic when they do happen because the vehicles may be traveling at 70 or 75 mph.
One of the most extreme examples of this is when a wrong-way accident happens on the interstate. This often leads to a head-on collision that may occur at a combined speed of 150 miles per hour. It’s very common for people to pass away or suffer serious injuries, such as amputations, burns, internal injuries, spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries.
The role of alcohol consumption
Researchers have found that alcohol is often the root cause of these serious crashes. After all, interstates have been designed to be safe. There should never be wrong-way traffic, and vehicles almost never share a roadway—except in rare cases where there is a construction zone. But even then, the road should be divided with a concrete barrier.
But alcohol clouds people’s judgment and leads to mistakes and mental confusion that they wouldn’t experience otherwise. A driver who is drunk may not even understand that they are driving up the wrong ramp and heading the wrong way down the interstate. Meanwhile, drivers who are heading in the proper direction are not expecting traffic to be coming toward them. They only have a split second to react, and it’s often not enough to avoid a serious crash.
Have you suffered significant injuries or lost a loved one in such an accident? You may be able to seek financial compensation.