While wrong-way crashes happen more often between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m.., there can be exceptions. Any driver has the potential to become disoriented and confused no matter what time of the day or night and can make a wrong turn. If a driver gets behind the wheel after consuming alcohol, such a scenario becomes more likely.
The Sacramento Bee reports that a possible DUI driver may be to blame for a fatal wrong-way crash that happened along Highway 20 on the evening of Sunday, July 11, 2021, killing one person and injuring four additional people.
Officials say that the crash happened at approximately 7:00 p.m. when a westbound driver along Highway 20 swerved over the yellow line and into traffic that was heading eastbound. The driver’s car collided with an eastbound vehicle that a driver and four passengers occupied that. Some of the passengers hurt in the crash were children.
Neither driver could avoid a head-on collision.
Emergency crews responded to the scene and declared the driver of the westbound vehicle dead at the scene of the crash. Four occupants in the eastbound vehicle were transported by air to hospitals in both Vacaville and Sacramento for treatment of injuries that they suffered in the crash.
The current condition of those involved in the accident had not been released at the time of the report.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is investigating the cause of the fatal crash. Intoxication by drugs or alcohol has not been ruled out.
