Wrong-way accident causes serious injuries

On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Monday, March 5, 2012.

Wrong-way car crashes can be serious due to the nature of the strong head-on impact. It can be baffling to understand how a driver can inadvertently drive on the wrong side of the road, but it’s not entirely uncommon.

A car accident near Walnut Hill last week illustrates the serious of such crashes. The 71-year-old driver of a Chrysler sedan reportedly drove north in the southbound lane of Highway 97 on a recent evening at about 10 p.m. He had a passenger in the vehicle with him.

That vehicle collided with the 65-year-old driver of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that was heading south in the southbound lane of the highway. The pickup truck driver apparently tried to swerve, but the front left end of both vehicles collided.

The crash was so severe that both drivers and the sedan’s passenger were all trapped in the vehicles, requiring rescue workers to use the Jaws of Life to free them from the wreckage. Photos posted to NorthEscambia.com show the severity of the accident. The sedan is completely totaled, with a broken windshield and various car doors torn off. The pickup is not in much better shape, with the front end completely totaled.

All three people were transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola via ambulance. They were all listed in serious condition shortly after the accident. Details of their injuries were not immediately made available.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver of the sedan was charged with driving on the wrong side of roadway.

Source: NorthEscambia.com, “Three seriously injured in Highway 97 crash (updated with names),” March 1, 2012