It’s not every day that a car wreck results in a water rescue. On November 3rd, 2019, a crash in the early morning led to a sedan going off a bridge and into a reservoir. The reservoir sees many crashes throughout the year, and a family living on the curve cited that issue. The family explained that the Iron Bridge going over the reservoir is at the bottom of a steep downhill slope, is poorly lit, and has a rather severe curve.
Ultimately, the family has lost many trees and mailboxes to people coming off the curve and driving toward the reservoir. However of the year, they haven’t replaced the trees, and now more cars are hitting the reservoir, rather than stopping in their yard. The driver in this instance and a passenger were pulled out of the reservoir quickly and taken to a hospital.
At the hospital, they received care for serious injuries. However, it’s unclear what happened after that. The driver, Abdul-Malik Lawton, a Richmond resident, is now wanted for a DUI, maiming, and driving with a revoked license. The two men were traveling, under the influence of alcohol, and then were unable to avoid the sloped embankment. The result was plummeting into the water and calling for emergency services.
Emergency services arrived on the scene at 1:50 a.m. and were able to extract the vehicle from the water quickly. Spill response crews continued to work on the damage done to the reservoir throughout Sunday.
Weekends after a holiday always have more reports of DUIs, reckless driving, and dangerous driving patterns. It’s no surprise that this particular bridge has numerous issues with drivers not handling their vehicles correctly. But when you consider that this driver was intoxicated the damage could have been much worse.
If you need help with a car accident claim, call our experienced law firm at Virginia Injury Law today.
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