A 22-year-old Santa Clara woman who was apparently driving the wrong way on I-880 on Feb. 6 crashed head-on into another vehicle, killing herself and seriously injuring three people. The accident reportedly occurred around 12:34 a.m., prior to the police arriving in response to an emergency call that had been placed reporting she was traveling north in the southbound lanes.

According to the California Highway Patrol, a call came in around 12:30 a.m. reporting the woman was driving her 1999 Volvo the wrong way on the interstate. A second call came at 12:34 a.m. to report the collision in the southbound lanes near Thornton Avenue.

When officers and emergency personnel responded, they found the woman's car engulfed in flames. Although they attempted to extricate her, their efforts proved futile. They indicated the woman was killed by both the injuries she received in the head-on collision as well as the fire that afterwards occurred. Fire officials reportedly had to work quickly to prevent the fire from spreading to the pickup truck into which the woman had crashed. All three of its occupants suffered major injuries in the accident. Officers are still investigating the cause, but have not ruled out the possibility that drugs or alcohol may have played a role.

When car accidents are caused by a driver who then dies, people who are seriously injured may still seek recompense for the losses they suffered by filing a personal injury lawsuit against the deceased driver's estate. In this way, plaintiffs may still be able to recover should a civil lawsuit develop.

Source: KGO-TV, “Wrong-way driver dies in crash on I-880 in Fremont,” Feb. 6, 2015