Atlanta Man Charged in Wrong Way DUI Collision Involving Serious Injuries

In February, a motorist drove the wrong way on Interstate 85 in Atlanta, causing a multi-vehicle crash that left four people seriously injured. The motorist has now been charged with DUI, driving the wrong way, and driving without a license.  

On February 14th, Franklin Alvarez Hernandez drove his Chevy Blazer south in the northbound HOV lane. The Chevy struck a Ford Explorer, causing it to roll over. Another Explorer struck the first one, after which the Chevy struck a Buick LeSabre. In all, four vehicles were involved in the crash and four people suffered serious injuries.

The crash involving Hernandez was one among a series of wrong way driving accidents that Atlanta injury lawyers had been concerned about over the past 12 months. Many of these accidents resulted in serious injuries or fatalities. The Georgia Department of Transportation estimates that 22 people died in wrong way driving collisions in the metro Atlanta region alone over the past six years. In most of these accidents, the wrong way drivers were driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or prescription medication.

As an Atlanta drunk driving accident attorney, that does not surprise me in the least. A motorist driving under the influence suffers from a lack of judgment and is much more prone to driving errors, having lethal consequences. Just this month, I blogged about a Marine killed in a wrong way driving accident in Atlanta. The Marine's wife was critically injured in the accident caused by a 71-year-old motorist driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-20.