[08-22-2022] Colusa County, CA – Three People Dead, Another Two Injured in Head-On Crash on Southbound Interstate 5 Near Maxwell

According to Sgt. Blayne Kilkenny, three people were killed, and another two were injured in a head-on crash on southbound Interstate 5 near Glenn and Colusa counties’ border early Monday morning, August 22, 2022.

A wrong-way driver struck a car carrying four people head-on while traveling north in the southbound lanes.

The second car contained three fatalities.

An emergency helicopter took the alleged wrong-way driver to the hospital. The two involved vehicles were Nissan Altimas. The victims’ names weren’t immediately made public.

The southbound lanes were blocked off just before 1:00 a.m., 10 miles south of the county line, near the Maxwell rest area.

The road would be closed until at least 7:30 or 8:30 a.m. The southbound traffic was diverted at Maxwell onto 99-W.

Officers from the CHP are looking into whether drunk driving was involved.

Head-On Crash Statistics

Head-on crashes, also called “frontal” crashes, happen when two cars in opposite directions hit each other in the front. Any car accident can hurt someone, but statistics show that head-on collisions are more likely to cause serious injuries or death to the driver or passengers in both cars.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that 58% of people in cars who were in front-end collisions died in 2017. Head-on crashes are more likely in rural areas, and 13% of all fatal crashes in rural areas are head-on crashes. Less than 7% of deadly crashes in cities are head-on collisions.

Accidents are sometimes just that—accidents. It could be a mechanical problem, like the brakes not working or the power steering is not working.

But most head-on collisions happen because one driver is driving on the wrong side of the road. Most of the time, it’s because of drunk or distracted driving (like texting while driving), unsafe passing, drowsy driving, or other kinds of confusion behind the wheel, like an older person who enters a highway in the wrong direction.

Don’t look at your phone while you are driving. It only takes a car a second or two to drift over the median and into the other lane. Also, if you’re too tired to drive, pull over and take a break. Tiredness affects your body in the same way that drinking alcohol does. A drunk driver can still try to react while driving slowly, but a sleepy driver can suddenly fall asleep while driving fast.

Colusa County Head-On Collision Lawyers

Each car might go in a different direction in a head-on crash. This could make it hard to figure out right away what happened. Your injury lawyer can hire an engineer or an expert in accident reconstruction to figure out what happened and who was at fault.

If you were hurt or lost a family member in a head-on crash, the insurance company of the driver who caused the accident should pay your claim. But the first step is to prove that the other driver did something wrong.

Unfortunately, whether it’s an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit, it’s up to the plaintiff (the person who was hurt or their survivors) to prove what the defendant owes them (the at-fault driver).

Look for the following:

• • Responsibility. Every driver is required by law to keep other people safe. This means being awake, sober, well-rested and focused on the road. If a driver is drunk or high on drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines that could make them less safe, they are not doing their job.
  • Negligence. A driver is negligent if they do something that is not what a reasonable person would do. This could mean going the wrong way on a one-way street, using an off-ramp to get onto a highway, or driving too fast.
  • Cause. In a car accident, this part will be easy to figure out. For any injury claim, the person who was hurt must show that the defendant’s actions directly caused their injuries. For instance, you wouldn’t have injured your head if the defendant hadn’t changed lanes into yours and caused the accident.

After a car accident, there are things you can do to make your case stronger. Head-on collisions are more likely to cause serious injuries, whether you’re driving or riding as a passenger. Your first goal should be to help anyone who is hurt. If you can, call 911 and get help to the scene as quickly as possible.

After getting emergency medical care and dealing with legal and insurance issues, you can start gathering evidence. Get a copy of the police report and all medical records from the accident.

Next, talk to a personal injury lawyer with a lot of experience. Even if your insurance company is handling the claim, it’s important to get an attorney involved as soon as possible if the settlement is large or there are questions about who was at fault. Your lawyer will work to find more evidence, hire experts, and figure out how much you should get in damages.

If you don’t already have a lawyer you know and trust, Arash Law is a great place to start looking for an attorney who will best represent your interests. Our experienced Colusa County head-on accident lawyers have decades of experience and have collected over 200 million dollars for clients across the state.

We fight hard to protect our clients’ legal rights so they can focus on recovering from their injuries. Call (888) 488-1391 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.