An accident in the Bay Area on a state highway left one person dead and another person hospitalized with serious injuries. Police say the injured victim is expected to survive the accident.

According to authorities, the driver of one passenger car for some reason drifted off the road on to the shoulder. The driver responded with a rapid correction that put the car in to the path of an oncoming vehicle. The car's passenger side slammed in to another small passenger car.

The driver of the car that got struck died at the scene of the accident. The state highway patrol and rescue workers rescued and transported the victim as officers began their investigation.

Police have not ruled out the possibility that drugs or alcohol may have been involved in this accident and are continuing to investigate. The California Highway Patrol has even asked for anyone with information about the accident to come forward.

It is axiomatic that drivers in California need to stay within the confines of the road while operating their vehicles. As this sad case illustrates, not every car accident that involves someone running off the road is a one-car incident. Sometimes, when a vehicle starts to run off the road, the end result is a serious collision like the one that happened in this case, as the gut reaction of a driver who starts to head off the road is going to be to turn sharply back on to the road.

Whether due to drugs or alcohol, fatigue or just inattentiveness, running off the road can ultimately cause a severe accident. Victims of such accidents have a right to pursue compensation for their losses.