The speed limit on several portions of the interstate system in Idaho is as high as 80 mph. Said otherwise, in those 80 mph sections, motor vehicles that travel at that speed are traveling at 117 ft./s. That is fast.
Scattered throughout the interstate are little “lanes” across the median, also known as emergency crossovers. These crossovers are designed and in place for authorized vehicles only, such as law enforcement, EMS, and maintenance crews. The drivers of these authorized vehicles are trained to use these crossovers safely due to a heightened danger to motorists on the interstate when they are used.
Crashes and resulting personal injuries are a common occurrence as non-authorized vehicles, or members of the general public attempt to use these cross-overs rather than using designated exits and on-ramps. The dangers arise as the motorist, who is presumably in the left, “fast” lane, slows down in order to enter the cross-over. Traffic approaching from the rear is coming up fast and because of the rapid pass of distance due to speed, the ability to perceive, react, and slow down is all extended. It is very common for these slowing motorists to be rear-ended, resulting in injury and death.
If the motorist made it into the median without injury, the next gauntlet they face is getting out of the median/cross-over. The same problems are initially in place. The approaching traffic is traveling at 80 mph or 117 ft./s. The motorist coming out of the median, who is at a stop, is at zero mph and zero ft./s. As they make their turn into the left/”fast” lane, they are going very slow, attempting to accelerate and gain speed, while the other speeding motorists are bearing down hard on them. This situation is much more dangerous because in this scenario, the exiting motorist is accelerating, hence no brake lights. The approaching motorists from the rear don’t have brake lights as a signal or warning. The assumption is the motorist in front of them is traveling at interstate speeds; but they are not. The approaching motorists catch up to the slow moving motorist quickly and before they realize the motorist is going so much slower, there is not time and distance enough to react and a crash occurs.
Due to the high speeds in collisions such as these, the personal injuries sustained are generally severe or catastrophic. Piecing together the myriad of legal issues that arise from circumstances such as these can be daunting and overwhelming. The personal injury attorneys at Racine Olson are trained and experienced to handle these type of personal injury actions. If you or your loved ones have been injured due to the negligent conduct of another motorist, call us today to represent and advocate your legal rights!