Interstate 40 in Orange County was the scene of a recent early morning head-on collision resulting from an alleged drunken driver traveling for five to 10 miles in the wrong direction.
The car accident occurred near mile marker 268 by Highway 15/501 in Durham and state Highway 86 / Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard en route to Chapel Hill. The sedan smashed into an oncoming pick-up truck.
According to North Carolina state troopers, at approximately 4:30 a.m., law enforcement was alerted to a situation involving an eastbound Honda Civic in the westbound lanes of the highway. Transcripts of a 911 call reveal the following exchange:
Caller: “On the westbound lane there’s a car going eastbound and people are swerving and flying everywhere.
911: “What kind of vehicle is it?”
Caller: “I don’t know. It’s a sedan. The guy’s going the wrong way man. It’s ridiculous.”
The alleged drunk driver and another person were injured in the crash. Reports indicate that the driver going the wrong way suffered from a broken wrist and internal injuries and is recovering in the intensive care unit of a local hospital.
The crash shut down the westbound lanes of the interstate for nearly an hour while traffic was detoured. The scene was said to be clear about 6:30 a.m.
Those who choose to get behind the wheel of a car after drinking bear a responsibility to those whom they harm. Drunk and negligent drivers must be held both criminally and civil liable for their irresponsible actions.
If you have been injured in a car accident due to the fault of another driver, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills and a host of other civil claims. Understanding how the civil court system works and how a personal injury case would progress is the first step in seeking such compensation.
Source: ABC 11, “Wrong-way driver accident shuts down I-40 in Orange County” No author given, May. 02, 2014
