The Daily Progress reports two fatalities early Wednesday evening from a head-on collision on Interstate 64 near Afton Mountain. Apparently, an eastbound vehicle crossed a grassy median and went into on-coming traffic, causing the head on collision. The driver of one vehicle and the passenger of the other vehicle were killed.
Unfortunately the Afton Mountain area is often the site of serious automobile collisions. Much of the time these collisions are due to thick, low visibility fog that covers the mountain. There can be clear skies on either side of the mountain, but the Interstate will be covered by a cloud. If drivers are not used to these conditions and are not being alert, an accident can easily occur. The paper does not report if the collision was due to fog.
When a car crosses the median like this, another common cause is a driver falling asleep. The accident occurred at 5:50pm, but the fact that is was an early evening accident does not necessarily rule out falling asleep as a cause. Falling asleep while driving is negligent. If you are tired and nodding off, you should immediately find a place to stop and rest.
Another common cause for cars to cross the median is a sudden emergency, such as someone passing out or having a heart attack. These episodes are rare. In Virginia, if a driver is found to have a sudden emergency and causes a collision, it is possible that he or she may not be considered at fault for the collision due to the emergency. Often times, it needs to be determined if the driver was aware of the potential risk. For example, a person that frequently has seizures and continues to drive may not be covered by the sudden emergency doctrine.
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