A wrong-way driver and a passenger in the vehicle he collided with were killed on July 12 in a head-on collision on Interstate 24 in Coffee County, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. An investigation is underway to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the accident.
According to the THP, a 35-year-old man from Tullahoma was driving the wrong way in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 24 when he collided with another vehicle near mile marker 114. The wrong-way driver died at the scene after being ejected from his vehicle. A 63-year-old woman from Hixson, the passenger in the vehicle he collided with, also died at the accident scene. The male driver and a female passenger in that vehicle suffered injuries in the crash and were transported by air to a hospital for treatment.
Head-on automobile collisions are likely to leave those who survive with grievous injuries that can include disabling brain, neck and spinal cord trauma. Many survivors are temporarily or permanently unable to live independently or to provide for themselves financially following these accidents. Some might have concerns about their ability to remain economically stable going forward. Such concerns may be intensified while they are off work, attending to their injuries and experiencing lost or diminished income, or when they are rendered unable to return to work at all.
Injured automobile accident survivors are likely to have an increased cost of living due to the expense of medical and rehabilitative care required to maintain a reasonable standard of living. They may wish to pursue the resources needed to finance these expenses from those determined to be liable for their injuries. A personal injury claim brought in civil court could allow them a chance to recover their actual and future economic losses.
Source: WR, “Hixson woman killed in head-on crash on I-24“, July 14, 2014