One Injured, One Killed in I-80 Crash

car crash

Last week a Rocklin man was injured and a woman killed in an accident on the eastbound side of Interstate 80, according to the California Highway Patrol. On Thursday, shortly after 2:00 a.m., officers responding to reports of a crash found a Saturn Ion and a Mercedes E350 blocked traffic. A woman identified only as in her 30s was trapped in the Saturn and extricated by rescue crews. The car had sustained major damage to the right front side, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Meanwhile, the driver of the Mercedes, who was identified as Koffi Francis Desouza, 66, of Rocklin, declined medical treatment for minor injuries at the scene. His vehicle also sustained major damage.

CHP determined that the two vehicles crashed head-on. It is unclear at this point if the Saturn was traveling in the wrong direction or had become disabled and was facing the wrong way on the highway. It is has not yet been determined if alcohol, drugs or other factors played a role in the crash.

Head-On Collisions Often Deadly

Of the types of car crashes that prove fatal for one or more victims, head-on collisions are in the top three, the others being rollovers and collisions with stationary objects. Head-on collisions are often fatal due to the speed at which the vehicles are traveling and the force of their impact.

According to the Fatal Analysis Reporting System or FARS of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

  • 18 percent of non-interchange and non-junction fatal crashes were head-on collisions.
  • 75 percent of head-on crashes occurred on rural roads and undivided two-lane roads
  • Only 4.2 percent of these crashes involved a passing maneuver.

One interesting fact to emerge from an analysis of head-on crash data is that this type of crash is one of the most likely to kill a completely innocent driver. People are killed in an alarming 42 percent of crashes in which they were not at fault by head-on collisions. Nearly half of all innocent victims are killed by a head-on crash caused by someone else’s carelessness.

What Should I Do If I Am The Victim of A Head-On Accident?

If you are the victim of a head-on accident or if you lost a loved one in a fatal car accident in Sacramento, contact a personal injury attorney immediately. You may need help collecting payments for your medical bills, pain and suffering and other expenses.

The lawyer you choose to represent you in your personal injury matter will greatly affect the outcome of your case. What many people don’t realize, though, is that your relationship with your lawyer will also impact your life.