Does your town have a problem with this?
 

Wrong Way Drivers...

It seems that its not a good month unless there is a big homicide because of someone who got on the freeway here going the wrong direction. It often happens at night and the wrong way driver was drunk, but I've seen it happen at all hours of the day. happened again this morning right here by my house.

My question is, if you live in a large metro area, does your town have this problem? Is it something that just comes along with a large urban freeway system? Is there something inherent to the San Antonio freeway setup that leads to this kind of thing (I know you all wouldnt be able to answer that last one, but by default, if theres no other explination, then it must be a SA issue).

Wrong-way driver kills mother, toddler in I-10 wreck

Web Posted: 11/04/2005 10:29 AM CST

Maria M. Moreno
Express-News Staff Writer

A pickup driver headed the wrong way on Interstate 10 smashed into a Chevrolet Cavalier this morning, killing a toddler riding in his car seat and a woman police believe is his mother, authorities said.

A third motorist, identified as the child's father, was taken to University Hospital in critical condition.

The driver of the Ford F-250, who police believe is about 19 years old, was not injured. A blood test was ordered for the pickup's driver to determine whether alcohol was a factor in the wreck, said San Antonio Police Sgt. Michael Oliva.

The crash occurred about 6:15 a.m. in the westbound lanes of I-10 near De Zavala Road. Witnesses reported seeing the Ford truck traveling in the wrong direction around Boerne Stage Road and began trailing him, Oliva said.

Around UTSA Boulevard, the truck clipped a brown car. That car's driver was not injured and police believe the driver later left the scene, he said.

The Ford F-250 eventually slammed into the red Cavalier, destroying the compact car. The impact was so severe that the toddler, believed to be about 2 years old, was thrown from the car and separated from his car seat. The mother also was ejected, Oliva said. Both were pronounced dead.

Debris and car parts littered the freeway, which was shut down at De Zavala Road during rush hour. By 9:30 a.m., authorities were preparing to reopen that portion of I-10 where traffic remained backed up.

mmoreno@express-news.net

I don't think either KC or Omaha does...although I know a couple of people who got caught on one way streets going the wrong way in Lincoln. But never on the interstates.

Strangely enough, I had a dream last night about people going the wrong way on the interstate as I happened to be driving.

Happens every now and then... but it's a rarity in Toronto. Up north on the other hand it happens a lot more, probibly because of the lack of traffic or other idiot proof visual cues for those to dumb to notice the wrong way signs...

You hear about it sometimes in most every city we've lived in -- but not too often.

Generally it's a DUI or and older driver who got confused.

Huge problem in the Atlanta area too.

A couple have been caused by some "car pool only lane" freeway entrances which are confusing.

Yes, it's a big problem here. There was a crash that killed some people a few weeks ago that involved a wrong-way driver.

A few months ago, I was getting onto 75 from Cumberland and someone was leaving the freeway through the entrance lane. Cars were swerving to avoid the wrong-way driver. The lady finally pulled off the side of the road and just sat there with this scared look on her face.

I saw it twice when I lived in Orlando. Once involved an elderly woman who was driving down the wrong side on a very busy road. Another incident involved the same type of thing that happened in Atlanta. My friend and I were maybe a few inches away from getting into a head-on collision with a guy that got off the freeway at an entrance lane.

The worst part is that all these incidents happened during daylight! It just reaffirms my belief that there are a lot of truly stupid people in this world.

This kind of stuff really scares me. The freeway wrong way accidents are always the worst here. I just have this fear of being in one of those accidents.

The media is reporting that the 19 year old driver was drunk.

WHO is that drunk at 6:30AM???

It happens here as well. I went to traffic court w/ someone to dispute a ticket, and a man was there for driving on the wrong side of the road. Wonder what his defense was????

I have to walk across a one way street to get from my work parking lot to our building and back. I have seen cars going the wrong way on that street a handful of times. Yesterday, one started coming the wrong way just as I was halfway across the street. A girl was walking toward me and would've been hit by this nutjob. I told her, "Look out, there's a car going the wrong way" and she looked at me and kept walking, so I grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Then she saw the car coming from the wrong direction.

That was creepy. I'd say we hear about at least one a year of people going the wrong way on the freeway.

The same person that was drunk at 5:30 am, and at 4:30 am, and at 3:30 am, and at 2:30 am ...........

Here's whats left of the vehicle he hit.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/met...c.2c2c2b5c.jpg

The local paper is reporting that he failed a field sobriety test. The driver, 19-year old Ryan Gonzalez has been charged with two counts of Intoxication Manslaughter. It is reported that he is a student at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/met...c.2c28c72a.jpg

No, but I have a stack of News Herald's that I haven't read yet sitting in the living room.