Earlier in July a 40-year-old man in a pickup truck entered a Central Valley highway going the wrong way, crossed at least three lanes of traffic and accelerated his car to at least 80 mph before slamming head first into another pickup truck carrying six people. California Highway Patrol can think of only one logical explanation for the car accident; the man was a drunk driver.
The two cars crashed at a combined speed of over 140 miles per hour, causing devastating damage and killing two passengers in the other car instantly as it flipped upside down and skidded into the center median. The wrong-way driver and another passenger were taken to hospitals but were later pronounced dead as well. The three remaining survivors of the car accident suffered various injuries and were taken to local hospitals.
The California Highway Patrol say that a toxicology report is still forthcoming, but they expect to find the presence of alcohol or other intoxicating substances which they suppose would be the only way a man could drive on a busy highway in broad daylight against traffic going the wrong direction.
It is a very sad story for the six passengers of the truck, who were likely the innocent victims of the often overlooked crime of driving under the influence. Now the driver, who lost his life, will likely lose control of any assets he may have had if the estates of one or all of the deceased victims sue for wrongful death. In addition, the surviving victims may also bring a civil suit for the pain and suffering, including substantial medical bills, caused by the man’s horribly reckless behavior.
Source: The Associated Press, “CHP: Wrong-way driver likely drunk in fatal crash,” Tracie Cone, July 16, 2012
