Winter Weather Increases the Risks of Serious Car and Truck Accidents 

 Posted on November 30, 2022 in Car Accidents

The majority of the United States and all of Illinois is headed into its winter weather season. While Illinois residents are no stranger to snow, sleet, and rain, bad weather can still easily impact road conditions and the ability to drive safely. Unfortunately, even with defensive driving practices, the reckless or careless actions of other drivers on the road can jeopardize your safety during winter weather. If you are involved in a serious car accident this winter, make sure you meet with an Illinois personal injury lawyer. 

Weather Conditions Cause Fatal Accidents

Snow, slush, and ice on roadways cause nearly 25 percent of weather-related vehicle accidents and 15 percent more happen during actively snowy or sleety conditions. Almost 1,500 people are killed and well over 100,000 injured every year in these accidents. Besides precipitation actively falling from the sky and accumulating on the roadway, blowing and drifting snow, avalanches, and freezing rain can cause unexpected dangers in the roadway. Black ice, a form of invisible ice that is usually impossible to see, causes many accidents when unsuspecting drivers fail to reduce their speed. 

In fact, more people die in car accidents during the winter than die in severe weather-related causes, like tornadoes and hurricanes, the entire year. Winter weather car accidents can cause many serious injuries, including, but not limited to: 

• Debilitating spinal cord injuries that can result in full or partial paralysis

• Traumatic head injuries 

• Burns

• Cuts, lacerations, and disfiguring scarring 

• Broken and fractured bones

• Crushing limb injuries that cause limb loss or amputation

• Internal injuries

• Wrongful death

Is a Driver Responsible for Causing a Car Crash in Winter Weather? 

While winter weather causes conditions that are beyond our control, a driver who is not careful and causes an accident is still at fault. For a driver to completely avoid responsibility for an accident, the weather conditions must have been completely at fault - a rare or impossible occurrence. Drivers are expected to observe weather and road conditions, anticipate dangers, and take action to slow down, take extra precautions, and watch out for other drivers on the road. Whether in snow, ice, or any other condition, a driver is responsible for maintaining control of his or her car. 

If you have already been in a car crash with someone during bad weather, their insurance company representative will likely try to contact you. You must be very cautious when giving out information about the crash, especially if the company asks you to speculate about why the crash happened. Insurance companies may sound like they are objectively trying to gather information, when in fact they are trying to get you to say something that could reduce the appearance of their client’s liability and, therefore, the company’s need to pay out a fair sum. Before speaking with an insurance company, talk to a car crash injury attorney; better yet, let your attorney speak to the insurance company instead of talking to them yourself. 

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Winnebago County Car Accident Lawyer

If you are hurt in a serious car accident during a winter storm, and you believe another driver was at least partially at fault, schedule a free meeting with a Rockford, IL personal injury attorney with Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Injury Law. We can help you examine the facts of your case, gather relevant evidence, negotiate a fair settlement with the responsible driver or their insurance company, and, if necessary, take your case to court. Call us today at 815-215-7561. 

Source: 

https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/weather_events/snow_ice.htm