Car accidents come in all sizes and levels of severity, and few can predict exactly when one is about to happen. Often by the time a motorist sees an accident coming, it's too late to avoid a wreck. This is especially true when cars are traveling at very high speeds, which increase the possibility that the accident will be fatal.

A fatal car accident that happened last week in Detroit offers a good example. It occurred on Thursday morning just after midnight on Interstate 96 in Detroit. Had the driver who caused the head-on collision been traveling a little more slowly, the driver of the other vehicle might have been able to take action sooner and either avoid the crash or at least avoid death.

According to witnesses, a vehicle somehow got onto I-96 and began traveling in the wrong direction, heading eastbound in the westbound lanes of the highway. The vehicle than crashed into another that was traveling west, and the wrong-way vehicle burst into flames. The wrong-way driver was rushed to a local hospital and listed in critical condition. The driver of the vehicle that was hit never made it that far, and was instead pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

Michigan State Police troopers say that alcohol may have been involved in the collision. Unfortunately, as bizarre and horrific as this accident sounds, it's certainly not the first. Wrong-way highway collisions happen on a regular basis, and are often caused by a driver who is intoxicated. Although little is known about the drivers at this point, MSP troopers know that this accident isn't the first of its kind, nor will it be the last.

Meanwhile, the family members of the motorist who was driving the right way may be wondering how an accident could take their loved one's life with little to no warning, leaving them the unenviable task of planning a funeral and all of the other arrangements for someone whose life was taken too soon. They may choose to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the other driver, which could cover the costs of these unexpected expenses and provide some peace of mind amid a tragedy that no one could have seen coming.

Source: The Detroit News, "1 motorist dead, 1 injured in wrong-way crash on I-96 in Detroit," Tom Greenwood, Dec. 6, 2012