ATLANTA, GA – August 25, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –

A fatal wrong-way crash on Interstate 285 near Buford Highway in DeKalb County in November 2025 killed two people and shut down nearly all lanes of the interstate, according to reporting by WSB-TV Channel 2. The collision was one of several documented wrong-way fatal crashes along the I-285 corridor recorded in Georgia Department of Transportation crash data in recent years, a pattern that prompted Atlanta Accident Lawyers to outline the liability challenges facing victims of wrong-way collisions on the region’s interstate corridors.

Citing the Federal Highway Administration’s interstate-segment safety analysis, the firm noted reporting that places the I-285 fatal-crash rate well above the national urban-interstate average. According to that analysis, the elevated rate reflects both the corridor’s traffic volume and design features such as high-speed merge geometry and ramp configurations that can contribute to wrong-way entry at interchange points. The firm emphasized that specific figures and methodology should be reviewed directly through the FHWA’s published safety data and GDOT’s crash reporting database.

Atlanta Car Accident Lawyer

The hazard is not limited to the perimeter highway. According to a published analysis of GDOT crash data, wrong-way driver incursions from the Brookwood and 14th Street ramps on Atlanta’s Downtown Connector, where I-75 and I-85 run together, have been associated with multiple wrong-way crashes over recent years. The firm described this as a recurring design concern at ramp entry points, where drivers may enter the interstate against traffic before signage and physical barriers redirect them.

Wrong-way crashes on Atlanta interstates can create multi-party liability situations. When a wrong-way driver causes a fatal or serious-injury collision, claims may involve the wrong-way driver, the driver’s insurer, and potentially GDOT if signage or ramp design is alleged to have contributed to the wrong-way entry. Under Georgia Senate Bill 68, which took effect in 2025, the modified apportionment framework permits defendants to allocate fault to unnamed non-parties, including entities responsible for road design and maintenance. The specific statutory text of SB 68 and its apportionment provisions are available through the Georgia General Assembly’s published legislation.

Georgia’s modified comparative fault standard, codified in state law, allows accident victims to recover damages provided they are found less than 50 percent at fault. In wrong-way claims, insurance defense teams representing the wrong-way driver may argue that a victim was speeding, failed to take evasive action, or was in a lane configuration that worsened the impact. According to the firm, such arguments are increasingly paired with SB 68 apportionment to raise a victim’s assigned share of fault. An Atlanta Car Accident Lawyer can issue formal legal hold demands to help preserve records before routine government retention schedules advance.

Shannon Ludwig, a spokesperson for Atlanta Accident Lawyers, said the evidence timeline often determines the outcome of these claims. “When a wrong-way driver enters I-285 or the Downtown Connector from a ramp that lacks adequate signage or rumble strips, a claim may run against both the driver and GDOT, but SB 68 now provides the driver’s insurer a statutory tool to shift a portion of fault to GDOT as an unnamed non-party,” Ludwig said. “GDOT’s Intelligent Transportation System cameras record continuously but cycle their footage on short retention schedules, so formal preservation requests generally need to be issued within days of a crash before footage showing the entry point and signage condition is overwritten.”

Evidence relevant to wrong-way liability, including GDOT camera footage, ATL511 traffic monitoring records, dashcam recordings, and NAVIGATOR traffic data, is generally maintained on limited retention cycles, according to GDOT records practices. Additional background on wrong-way crash claims is available through the firm’s ATL Accident Law Atlanta Car Accident Lawyer practice materials.

Atlanta Accident Lawyers is a network of independent personal injury law firms representing injured motorists across the Atlanta metro area and throughout Georgia. The network handles car accident claims, including wrong-way crash cases on I-285 and the Downtown Connector, as well as truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, rideshare collisions, and pedestrian accidents on a contingency fee basis.

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For more information about Atlanta Accident Lawyers, contact the company here:

Atlanta Accident Lawyers – Peachtree
Shannon Ludwig
17064808699
info@atlanta-accidentlawyers.com
235 Peachtree St NE
Suite 458
Atlanta, GA 30303

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