The most dangerous and potentially fatal type of accident to have on a rural Texas roadway is a head-on wrong way wreck. The risks are especially high if you’re on a motorcycle. The injury risks of motorcyclists are much higher than for the occupants of enclosed vehicles.
The Texas highway car accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC caution that because of the speed of the frontal impacts, traumatic brain injuries, severe spinal injuries, internal organ trauma, and crush injuries might occur, along with broken limbs, severe lacerations, and soft tissue trauma. Fatal injuries from high-speed head-on crashes account for about 10% of U.S. traffic deaths each year even though head-on crashes only represent around 3% of all U.S. road wrecks.
Various U.S. states have conducted studies examining the deadly effects of wrong-way wrecks and possible ways to prevent them. These studies have found that the fatality rate for wrong way crashes are anywhere from 12 to 27 times higher than for other types of crashes. The latest major nationwide study on the problem of wrong-way wrecks is the U.S. NTSB Highway Special Investigation Report, Wrong-Way Driving, December 11, 2012.
As an example of the catastrophic consequences of a Texas highway wrong-way wreck, late Friday night in Dallam County, a Chevy Impala crossed over the centerline on Highway 54 and crashed into an 18-wheeler. Both the 18-year-old driver of the car and a 23-year-old passenger, David Roman of Illinois, were killed in the violent head-on wreck. Three other passengers of the Impala wee injured. The driver and a passenger in the tractor-trailer truck were also injured. Our Texas highway car accident attorneys point out that these injuries and deaths resulted even though everyone was reportedly wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident, attesting to the speed and severity of a wrong-way crash on the highway. (KFDA NewsChannel 10, 1/18/14)
Then about noon on Saturday, the driver of a Dodge pickup truck slammed head-on into a Ford pickup truck as he was attempting to pass another vehicle on Highway 62 close to the Newton and Jasper County line. Both vehicles burst into the flame from the catastrophic collision. The driver of the Dodge and the driver of the Ford were both killed in the fiery wreck. (Erika Harris, KBMT 12 News, 1/18/14) Our hearts and prayers are with the victims of both of these severe collisions and with their families.
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