Deadly Wrong-Way Crashes Increasing in Metro Atlanta

Deadly Wrong-Way Crashes Increasing in Metro Atlanta

Law enforcement in the Atlanta metro area are facing a dramatic uptick in the number of deadly wrong-way crashes, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Their data shows the number of deaths has more than doubled in the last 10 years, and this time of the year is the worst. That’s because impaired driving, especially DUI, is the most significant factor in these crashes.

Fatalities Double Year-Over-Year

The holiday season is the time when there are more distracted and drunk driving incidents that contribute to the trend of wrong-way crashes. There are also many drunk drivers on Super Bowl weekend that result in deaths.

Experts say that impaired driving plays a primary part in this increase in of wrong-way crashes. For example, one of these crashes happened on New Year’s morning two years ago. A 31-year-old man was killed in a wrong-way collision on Dallas Acworth Highway in Cobb County.

Police later charged the other driver with driving under the influence.

“He was in his lane coming home,” the victim’s mother said. “A driver in the opposite direction of a two-lane highway decided to try to pass the vehicle in front of him and hit my son dead on.”

Malisha Wilkins said her son Jermain was a devoted father and that he and his son were very close. “He had a spirit that would light a room,” she remembered.

Alcohol impairment impacts a driver’s ability to safely operate a vehicle by impairing his or her judgment, coordination, and reaction time. Georgia’s legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for most drivers is 0.08%. For commercial drivers, the limit is 0.04%, and for drivers under 21, it’s 0.02%. Even so, it’s important to know that consuming just a small amount of alcohol can impair driving abilities—that makes any level of intoxication a risk.

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More recently, a wrong-way crash on an early Sunday morning in November 2024 on the 400 Northbound Expressway (GA 400) near Lenox Road NE resulted in the death of a 24-year-old woman and left a 52-year-old man hospitalized, Atlanta police reported.

The police responded to the scene around 5:10 a.m. on November 17th and found the woman, who was driving a Kia Sorento, unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene by EMT first responders.

The driver of the Toyota Rav4 involved in the accident  was also unresponsive but breathing. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The preliminary investigation findings were that one of the vehicles was traveling in the wrong direction on the expressway, leading to a head-on collision. The Accident Investigations Unit examined the incident to determine the exact circumstances but didn’t say which driver was going in the wrong direction.

Takeaway

In most wrong-way crashes, the other driver is doing something wrong that causes an accident. In addition to driving after consuming alcohol, motorists are distracted by their cellphones, music, and their passengers. Their inattention leads to frustration and heartbreak for the victims’ families. Their only option is to seek a monetary award from a jury. But that can’t replace lost loved ones.

Contact an Atlanta accident attorney 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 404-JUSTICE (404-587-8423) or using our online contact form. We offer free consultations, and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.