One person was injured in an Arizona wrong-way accident that occurred on July 15. The victim suffered serious injuries in the car accident, including a broken leg. Police suspected that the wrong-way driver was impaired at the time of the collision and arrested her.
Emergency dispatchers received several calls shortly before 10 p.m. about a wrong-way driver traveling east in the westbound lanes of the Loop 202 freeway in Mesa. The sedan, driven by a 33-year-old Peoria woman, collided with an SUV near Gilbert Road about three minutes later. Paramedics transported the driver of the SUV to Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn. A Department of Public Safety officer said that driver’s injuries were not life threatening.
Police said the 33-year-old woman was driving the wrong way on the freeway for about five miles before the accident occurred. Officers placed the woman under arrest after a drug-recognition expert evaluated her condition after the accident. The expert suspected she was drinking before the crash. The driver faced charges of aggravated assault, criminal damage and endangerment.
Drugs and alcohol contribute to many wrong-way accidents since impaired drivers might be more easily confused by the multiple road signs often present at on- and off-ramps. Drunk driving accidents are sometimes more severe than accidents that do not involve drugs or alcohol since impaired drivers often drive at excessive speeds and are often unable to slow down before a collision. Victims of drunk driving crashes frequently suffer severe injuries that require surgery, physical therapy and other expensive treatments that may put them deep in debt. Personal injury attorneys may be able to help victims seek compensation for medical bills and other damages from drunk drivers.
Source: AZ Central, “Driver arrested in wrong-way crash on Loop 202 in Mesa,” Corina Vanek, July 16, 2014
Source: YourWestValley.com, “Peoria woman arrested after wrong-way crash on Loop 202 in Mesa”, July 16, 2014