Drivers entering highways in wrong direction cause needless accidents and personal injury and wrongful death.
Driver inatttention can cause motor vehicle accidents resulting in serious personal injury. Entering limited access highways the wrong way happens more often than expected. In 2002, a van entered Intersate 89 at exit 16 the wrong way, going south in the northbound lanes. This resulted in accidents involving four vehicles. No one was killed but several persons sustained serious injuries. .
Two months later, another driver drove his Jeep from Roosevelt Highway onto I-89 and drove north for 13 miles -- in the southbound lanes. He caused three accidents.
In January 2005 another driver turned left off Roosevelt Highway to travel north on I-89 at Exit 16. She made it for a mile and a half -- in the southbound lanes -- before she collided with a man's oncoming car. Both drivers were critically injured. The same month another motorist drove 10 miles northbound in the southbound lanes of I-89 -- from Williston Road into Milton -- before crashing and losing a leg.
Senseless, needless tragedies. All caused by drivers not paying attention. Since these accidents the Vermont Agency of Transportation has made some changes at critical intersections, but the fact remains that as motorists we all have the responsibility to pay attention when driving. Only then can needless tragedy be avoided.
Last week the Burlington Free Press ran a complete story on this issue. As personal injury lawyers we see firsthand the tragedy caused by all kinds of careless mistakes including entering highways in the wrong direction.
For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.