Statistics reveal that 1.3 individuals die each year in motor vehicle accidents. While many of these accidents result in serious injuries, some are also fatal.

When accidents occur, vehicles often collide with one another, but in some situations, vehicles collide with stationary objects including median strips. Because median strips are large, immobile objects, accidents involving them frequently have deadly consequences.

Law enforcement reports that a rollover accident that recently occurred on Interstate 5 resulted in a child as well as two grandparents being killed. As a result of the vehicle's collision with a median, at least five individuals were ejected from the vehicle. While the child and grandparents were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, another injured child was flown to a hospital. After an investigation, law enforcement stated that distracted driving is believed to have caused the accident.

The Types of Median Barriers

Median barriers are used to divide opposing lanes of traffic on the road. The three types of median barriers include the following:

• Cable barriers: These barriers contain steel cables, which are connected to a series of posts. Sometimes these barriers absorb the force of collisions, but vehicles frequently break through these barriers.

• Rigid barriers: These barriers are helpful in stopping motor vehicles from entering the opposing lanes of traffic. Collisions involving these barriers as opposed to other types of barriers more often result in deadly injuries.

• Semi-rigid barriers: These barriers frequently consist of connected segments of metal railing which are support by blocks. Despite being capable of absorbing the force from some collisions, in more serious accidents, vehicles are known to break through these barriers.

The Types of Collisions that Occur

Collisions involving median barriers or any other type of stationary object tend to result in one of several types of accidents, which include the following:

• Head-On Collisions: Statistics reveal that head-on collisions represent only 2% of all motor vehicle crashes. These accidents frequently result in the most serious injuries as well as property damage. Most often this type of accidents occurs when drivers collide with median barriers and then strike another vehicle head-on.

• Roll-Overs: While not as common as other types of collisions, drivers who collide with median barriers can end up losing the vehicle's center of gravity or turning sharply, which can lead to roll-overs.

• Run-Off Collisions: These accidents represent 16.1% of all motor vehicle accidents. Often involving only one vehicle, run off accidents can result in a driver striking a median or any other object. Many times, these accidents occur because drivers grow distracted, fall asleep while driving, or swerve to avoid striking median barriers and end up running off the road.

Contact a Seasoned Car Accident Lawyer

Collisions with median strips are frequently serious and result in injuries as well as fatalities. If you or a loved one is involved in a collision with a median barrier or any other type of stationary object, you should not hesitate to obtain the assistance of a skilled accident attorney. Contact West Law Office today for assistance.

(image courtesy of Daniela Cuevas)