Wrong Way Driver On I-77 In Charlotte Kills Innocent Motorist | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

Police in Charlotte, NC say that one person is dead and another seriously injured due to a wrong way driver on I-77 this weekend. Police say the terrible wreck took place around 3 a.m. on I-77 near Westinghouse Boulevard.

According to news reports, 26-year-old Robert Goulding died at the scene of the accident after a 1999 Acura smashed into his 1998 Honda Civic. Police say the collision was a direct, head-on crash and occurred because the driver of the Honda was heading northbound in the southbound lanes of I-77.

The driver of the Acura, 21-year-old Austin Cason, was airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center in serious but stable condition and officials say they expect him to survive. Police have said charges are pending against the driver of the Acura. They believe that Cason entered I-77 at the Carowinds Boulevard interchange and drove for about 2 miles before hitting Goulding’s car in the right lane. Though an investigation is ongoing, troopers believe alcohol might have been involved in the crash.

Crashes involving wrong-way drivers are often especially devastating. The combination of moving the wrong way against the flow of traffic and then colliding head-on with another vehicle means disaster is all but inevitable. The simple physics of such accidents mean that drivers will almost certainly suffer extreme injuries or even possibly death due to the amount of force being exerted in both directions when two fast moving objects collide.

If you’re considering reaching out to a North Carolina wrongful death attorney, make sure it’s someone who has experience handling such difficult and emotionally trying cases. My firm handled one case where our client was killed by the driver of a tractor-trailer, leaving his wife and four children behind. In that case, we were able to secure a $2.4 million settlement for the family. Though the money does not help to heal the deep wounds left after the man’s death, it helps provide some much needed money to a family in need.  

If someone you love died due to the reckless or negligent behavior of another person, you’re likely confused about how to begin the process of holding the at-fault party accountable for his or her actions. Wrongful death actions can be confusing and are often unfamiliar to most people who, thankfully, have little experience with such lawsuits. If you recently lost a loved and are not sure how to move forward, it might be helpful to check out my firm’s answers to some frequently asked questions regarding wrongful death claims. For more information on the process, you can also read through my firm’s guide on the wrongful death claims process in North Carolina by clicking here.

Here’s a Google Map showing the location of the accident:


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