Near the Blue Star Shopping Center on a recent Saturday morning, the wrong-direction driving of an apparently drunken Staten Island man led to a three-car collision that injured three people, according to Watchung, New Jersey, police. The 1:53 a.m. motor vehicle accident on Route 22 was caused when the 33-year-old driver traveling eastbound collided with two westbound vehicles.
Following the accident, investigating officers arrested the driver and charged him with driving while intoxicated and cited him for reckless driving, driving the wrong way on a one-way highway and having an open alcohol container in his vehicle.
The man and his passenger were uninjured, as were three occupants of other vehicles, a Michigan man and two New Jersey women. However, three other women passengers, all from New Jersey, were taken to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick for treatment of injuries. They were later released, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Motor vehicle accidents can cause everything from minimal property damage to death and massive property destruction. Injury victims and the families of anyone killed can suffer in various ways. Those who are injured may be unable to live normal lives and may suffer permanent burdens such as debilitating disabilities, psychological trauma and brain injuries that need long-term treatment and cost thousands of dollars. In the worst cases, families must live without a loved one, which can be both emotionally and financially damaging.
However, auto accident victims may be able to seek damages from a negligent party, who may then be required to shoulder the expenses related to an accident, including the costs of property damage and victims’ pain and suffering.
Source: nj.com, “Wrong-way driver on Route 22 in Watchung causes three-car crash, cops say,” Walter O’ Brien, March 25, 2013