Elderly Man with Dementia Allegedly Causes Wrong-Way Accident on Long Island

Wrong-way accidents are not that common – the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports that they represent 3% of all motor vehicle accidents. However, they are the leading type of crash to result in a fatality.

These types of accidents are usually head-on collisions which cause significant injuries, property damage, and deaths. Wrong-way driving occurs when a driver operates their car or other vehicle in the opposite direction of travel on a highway and then crashes into a car traveling in the correct direction.

A Man with Dementia Seriously Injured in Wrong-Way Accident

In a recent accident, an 82-year old man with dementia who had been reported missing from New Britain, CT drove his car north on the southbound lanes of the Wantagh State Parkway. His vehicle crashed head-on into another car and then a third car crashed into these two vehicles.

The wrong-way driver was hospitalized and is in critical condition. The other drivers suffered minor injuries.

Although the driver suffers from dementia, he still holds a valid driver’s license.

Dementia Can Seriously Affect Driving Skills

Eventually, drivers with dementia will experience changes in decision-making and reaction time that can seriously affect their driving. Some of the warning signs for those with dementia that may indicate that they should stop driving include:

· Getting lost while driving or forgetting the destination.

· Hitting the curb.

· Failure to observe traffic signals and signs.

· Becoming confused or angry when driving.

· Mixing up the gas and brake pedals.

Because of the force of a wrong-way, or head-on, impact, the injured drivers and passengers may sustain severe injuries that can require surgery and extensive rehabilitation. Victims commonly experience head and spinal cord damage, broken bones, chest and abdomen injuries as well as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and paralysis.

Read more from the AAA about driving and dementia.

Let Us Know If You Have Been Injured in an Auto Accident

If you or a family member has been harmed by a car accident, truck accident, construction accident, slip and fall or any other type of personal injury, please contact StolzenbergCortelli, LLC Attorneys at Law immediately. Please call us for a free consultation. Attorneys Howard Stolzenberg and Terrence James Cortelli, personal injury attorneys in White Plains, Nyack and New York City, will fight to secure justice for you and your family. You can reach us at (914) 361 – 4888 or contact us via the website.