Head-On Indian River County Wreck Kills One, Injures Two
A 75-year-old woman is dead after a pickup truck drifted across the center line and slammed into an oncoming vehicle.
This wreck occurred near the intersection of 43rd Avenue and 2nd Street. According to police and witnesses, a northbound Dodge Durango briefly crossed over to the southbound side. The Durango smashed into a southbound Toyota Venza. Three people, the Durango driver, Toyota driver, and Toyota passenger, were all rushed to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. The Toyota’s passenger did not survive.
The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating the crash.
What Causes Head-On Crashes?
Driver error causes about 95 percent of the car crashes in Florida. Typically, that driver error constitutes negligence, or a lack of ordinary care.
Often, excessive speed is the culprit, especially in head-on collisions. Frequently, speeding drivers unintentionally oversteer, maybe when changing lanes. These tortfeasors (negligent drivers) do not remember, or do not care, that a fast-moving car is more sensitive than a slow-moving car.
After they oversteer, they overcompensate as they try to regain control of their vehicles. That overcompensation often has the opposite result, as the driver loses control over the vehicle altogether, As a result, the vehicle often drifts over the centerline.
Speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road, even if it’s only 1mph over the speed limit and a moment on the wrong side of the road, both constitute negligence per se. In Florida, this doctrine creates a presumption of absolute negligence, so it’s easier for a Port St. Lucie personal injury lawyer to obtain damages.
Other times, driving impairment is the culprit. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has identified five types of driving impairment, which are:
- Alcohol: This substance impairs judgement ability and motor skills. So, alcohol impairment causes about a third of the fatal car crashes in Port St. Lucie.
- Drowsiness: Fatigue and alcohol affect the brain in the same way. They both impair motor skills and judgement ability. In fact, driving after eighteen consecutive awake hours is like driving with a .05 BAC.
- Drugs: Just like it’s not illegal to drink alcohol and be sleepy, it’s not illegal to take most drugs. But driving under the influence of alcohol, fatigue, or a legal drug constitutes a lack of care. In Florida, it’s also illegal to drive under the influence of most drugs.
- Medical Condition: Many Floridians struggle with epilepsy, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses which may cause a sudden loss of consciousness. People with these conditions who get behind the wheel consciously put others at risk.
- Distraction: Distracted driving is not just limited to hand-held cell phone use. In fact, driving while using a hands-free cell phone may be even more distracting. Other kinds of distracted driving include eating while driving and talking to passengers while driving.
Impaired driving usually constitutes a lack of ordinary care. If that lack of care substantially caused the crash, the tortfeasor may be liable for damages.
Generally, these damages include compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Additional punitive damages may be available as well, in some extreme cases.