Virginia State Police suspect the at-fault driver who killed William E. Goode, Jr. of Norfolk while driving the wrong way on Interstate 295 (I-295) was under the influence of alcohol. Not only did the accident kill Mr. Goode, but it seriously injured Mr. Goode’s 8-year-old daughter. Sadly, the child was left an orphan by this accident as her mother was already dead.
If the charges hold up, I hope they throw the book at this driver. Most fatal car crashes are preventable. All the driver had to do was exercise basic responsibility and refrain from drinking and driving. Anyone who drives under the influence has very little respect for the law. My colleague, Rick Shapiro, wrote about the serious risks associated with such reckless driving behavior and the legal options the loved ones of victims who die due to a wrong-way driver car crash can pursue.
Wrong way highway wrecks are so frightening because they are so unexpected. I remember the first time I ever heard of such a thing. I was a teen and it was young man, a friend of guys I knew,who was killed on the on-ramp to I-564 near my home in Norfolk. I regularly use that highway entrance to go to work and my kids’ school. I often think of that death and I am still shocked at the idea that someone might be coming at me on a limited access road and I could not do a thing to protect myself or my passengers.