Were you hit by a driver who was going the wrong way in Duluth, Georgia? Then get the legal help you need to pursue full compensation for what you’ve suffered. Get Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers. We want to get you paid for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and car repairs — and we back that up with a track record of success.
David Brauns is ready to shoulder the legal burden of your car accident case so you can focus on healing and putting your life back on track. You’ll never have to stand up to the insurance companies alone. Instead, David will fight them hard to seek the money you need after a wrong-way motor vehicle accident.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation with our Duluth, GA, wrong-way car accident lawyer, and we’ll tell you how much your case could be worth.
What To Do After a Wrong-Way Car Accident
There are certain steps you can take after a wrong-way car accident to preserve your legal rights and options. First, follow your doctor’s treatment plan and recovery instructions to the letter. Remember to obtain copies of medical records of your treatment and rehabilitation and to request a copy of the police accident report. Gather your pay stubs/income statements if you miss time from work, and keep all bills, invoices, and receipts of your expenses. Finally, contact a wrong-way Duluth car accident attorney from Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers for help pursuing your compensation claims.
Can I Sue Another Driver for Driving in the Opposite Direction?
When a motorist driving on the wrong side of the road gets into a car accident, the law may hold that driver responsible for the crash under the theory of negligence per se. A person commits negligence per se when they violate a law without having an excuse. That violation serves as sufficient evidence of the person’s negligence. As a result, all you will likely need to prove is that they violated the law in order to win your case.
Common Causes of Wrong-Way Car Accidents
A wrong-way driver can cause a serious car accident by traveling in the opposite direction than intended for the road. Wrong-way car accidents often occur on one-way streets, limited-access highways, and highway access ramps, but they can also happen on roads with lanes for travel in opposing directions if a driver veers into oncoming traffic for whatever reason.
The following are among the top reasons a driver might end up on the wrong side of the road or highway:
- Intoxicated Driving – Drunk or drugged drivers have a higher risk of causing a wrong-way car accident. That’s because they may not notice that they’ve ended up on the wrong side of the road due to altered perception caused by their intoxication. Intoxicated drivers also exhibit risk-taking behaviors and poor judgment and may intentionally drive the wrong way.
- Distracted Driving – A distracted driver who’s on their cell phone, reaching for food in the car, or just not paying attention may inadvertently turn the wrong way down a one-way street, enter the wrong highway access ramp, or drift over the center line or median.
- Advanced Age – Older drivers may misinterpret road lines and traffic signs due to vision problems or mistakenly end up on the wrong side of the road because of declining faculties.
- Lack of Familiarity with Roads – Drivers unfamiliar with the Duluth area may not know the location of one-way roads or how to navigate traffic circles.
- Temporary Traffic Patterns – Altered traffic patterns during road construction can confuse drivers. This is especially true when detours take traffic onto lanes typically designated for opposite travel, or if traffic officials fail to provide sufficient signs to direct drivers.
- Road Design Problems – Certain road designs, such as those where three or more roads intersect or there are parallel on/off ramps, may lead drivers to accidentally end up on the wrong side of the road or highway.
Injuries Typically Suffered in Wrong-Way Car Accidents
Wrong-way motor vehicle accidents usually involve head-on collisions between vehicles. As a result, a wrong-way car accident can cause catastrophic, potentially life-threatening injuries, such as:
- Severe lacerations or degloving injuries
- Burns from post-crash car fires
- Broken bones
- Torn ligaments, tendons, and muscles
- Spinal injuries, including herniated discs or spinal cord damage and paralysis
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Internal organ trauma and bleeding
- Traumatic amputation or limb loss
A wrong-way driver could be held liable for these injuries and losses.
Wrong Way Driving Laws in Georgia
In Georgia, the uniform rules of the road govern driving on the correct side of the road. The state’s wrong-way driving rules include:
- 40-6-40 – Drivers must drive on the right half of the road, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle (as permitted) or when an obstruction requires a motorist to drive to the left of the center of the road (although drivers must yield to traffic traveling in the proper direction.
- 40-6-44 – Drivers overtaking traffic using the left side of the road must ensure that any approaching traffic is not so close as to prevent their safe overtaking maneuver.
- 40-6-46 – Drivers may not overtake using the left half of the road when driving in a no-passing zone, marked by a solid line on the right-hand side of a combination stripe or a solid double yellow line.
- 40-6-47 – Drivers traveling on a one-way roadway must travel in the designated direction.
Driving on the wrong side of the road in violation of traffic laws carries penalties that include a fine of a few hundred dollars and three points on the driver’s record.
Compensation Available in a Wrong-Way Car Accident Claim
A wrong-way accident claim could provide you with compensation for the financial and personal losses you’ve sustained due to the crash. Let our Duluth car accident attorneys fight for a financial recovery that includes money for:
- Medical treatment and rehabilitation, including hospitalization, surgeries, pain medication, orthopedic equipment, or physical/occupational therapy
- Long-term care and support for disabilities, including home health care or housekeeping
- Ongoing and future losses of income due to disabilities keeping you out of work or reducing your earning capacity
- Pain and suffering, including lost enjoyment or quality of life due to disabilities or permanent scarring and disfigurement
- Car repairs or reimbursement for the value of your totaled vehicle
Depending on the underlying circumstances of a wrong-way accident, you might also receive an award of punitive damages in a lawsuit. Punitive damages do not compensate you for losses but instead punish the at-fault driver for reckless or egregious conduct, such as knowingly driving while severely intoxicated or intentionally driving on the wrong side of the road.
