Two fatal car accidents involving wrong-way drivers have occurred in the Atlanta area recently including:
- An August 15, 2012, accident that killed two and seriously injured one person in a wrong-way crash in Buckhead.
- An August 24, 2012, crash that left one dead and injured one in a wrong-way Sandy Springs wreck.
While investigators are looking into the causes of these crashes, it is thought that alcohol could be a factor in both of the wrecks because no one in the right state of mind enters a highway going in the wrong direction. While it may be a mistake to turn down a one-way street, it is hardly a mistake when a driver enters a highway in the wrong direction. This is because there is highly visible signage as well as oncoming traffic – both of which are indicators to drivers that they are driving in the wrong direction.
Following the August 24 accident, investigators from Georgia’s Department of Transportation (GDOT) who are investigating the fatal accident – on GA 400 at Roberts Drive – told CBS Atlanta News that all the road markings were in place and all the proper signs were in the right areas at the time of this crash. They also commented that all the signage and pavement markings were in place along GA 400 near Lenox Road – the scene of the August 15 fatal wrong-way crash.
About accidentally getting on a road in the wrong direction, GDOT spokesman Mark McKinnon said, “It’s incredibly rare. Less than 2 percent get on as a mistake.”
Wrong-way driving is typically linked to drunk driving because many crashes have found that wrong-way drivers had a blood alcohol level of around 0.19, more than twice the legal limit.
If you have lost a family member due to a drunk wrong-way driver in Georgia, call Shane Smith Law at (980) 246-2656 to talk with a skilled Atlanta DUI victim attorney in a complimentary consultation today.