Snow And Ice Car Accident
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Know Your Rights After Accidents Caused By Snow Or Ice

Residents of Kansas City are no strangers to driving on roads covered in snow and ice. While you cannot sue Mother Nature for causing your accident, you can sue other motorists whose negligence or carelessness contributed to a car crash in winter. Mayer & Associates, P.C., is here to help when that occurs.

The high rate of serious injuries in winter accidents is not enough to encourage drivers to take extra precautions driving their cars in poor conditions. Drivers who operate their vehicles when the roads become slippery and icy know that adjusting their driving technique is the only way to avoid causing a car crash. However, not all drivers adjust their driving technique accordingly and end up getting into a car accident that could have been prevented. Unfortunately, many of these winter accidents cause injury to motorists who did their best to operate their own vehicles safely.

Causes Of Winter-Related Car Accidents

There are literally dozens of causes of winter driving accidents, but the most common ones are associated with the following factors:

  • Increased braking distance due to the accumulation of snow and ice on the road (there’s a stark difference between a vehicle’s braking distance on dry and clear pavement and pavement that is covered in snow or ice)
  • Vehicle hitting a patch of ice, slush or snow
  • Inability to clearly see what’s ahead on the road due to snow, ice, sleet, freezing rain or a combination of them (in some cases, this problem can be eliminated by thoroughly cleaning your vehicle of ice and snow before getting behind the wheel)
  • Getting distracted while driving (as if there were not enough driving hazards when operating a vehicle in bad weather conditions, some drivers get distracted by their cellphones, conversations with passengers, switching the radio station or other distractions)
  • Snow covering the ground or road signs can disorient the driver
  • Snow or ice reflecting sunlight can cause the driver to become “snow blind”
  • “Black ice,” which is almost never possible to see against the black pavement of the road from the driver seat, can cause the driver to lose control of his or her vehicle

How A Government Entity Can Be Liable For A Snow And Ice Car Crash

There are multiple causes of winter-related car crashes. Many motorists in Missouri seem to forget that local authorities have a duty to clear snow from the roads and use salt on icy roads to minimize the risk of car accidents. That is one of the factors that should be considered by your lawyer when determining liability in a car accident caused by snow or ice. While the other motorist’s negligence or recklessness may have contributed to the car crash, you may also be able to sue the government, city, municipality or any public entity for its failure to eliminate weather-related hazards in a timely manner.

Schedule a free consultation with our auto accident lawyers from Mayer & Associates, P.C., to discuss your case. Call our offices at 816-692-2877 or use our online contact form to schedule a consultation.