It is once again winter in Chicago, and with it have come cold temperatures, snow, and dangerous driving conditions. With the winter weather inevitably come slick roads and weather-related accidents. Recent news stories of fatal vehicle accidents should remind everyone of the profound importance of taking extra care when there is snow and ice on the roads. If you’ve been hurt in a vehicle accident occurring in winter weather, you may have a legal claim for damages. You should contact a knowledgeable Illinois car accident attorney about your situation and potential case.
A downstate accident has served once again as a tragic reminder of the dangers that can become involved when weather conditions combine snow and ice with multi-ton semi trucks. 29-year-old Kacee was a passenger in a vehicle traveling along Interstate 39 in McLean County. At some point, her vehicle became involved in a crash with a semi truck. The driver of Kacee’s vehicle was treated at the hospital. Kacee was killed. Roads in that area at that time were reported to be “snow-packed with slick spots,” the Pantagraph reported.
Just a few days earlier, CBS Chicago reported on an accident involving a car and a snow plow that took place in south suburban Chicago. The driver of the car was attempting to make a left turn when the plow, which was traveling straight ahead, crashed into the vehicle. One of the passengers in the car later died from his injuries.
These accidents highlight just how dangerous it can be to travel Illinois roads when winter weather strikes. If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an auto accident that takes place on snowy or ice-covered roads, it is important to know that the weather conditions do not prevent you from pursuing a case for compensation for the harm you suffered.
Very few vehicle accidents are truly and completely “acts of God.” Most accidents, even those occurring on roads that have become extraordinarily treacherous due to snow and ice, can potentially be avoided by using an appropriately elevated degree of reasonable care behind the wheel. Your weather-influenced vehicle injury case still requires focusing upon the same things as an accident that took place on dry roads under sunny skies. At some point, one vehicle collided with another. That means that the drivers were unable to stop or to steer in a way to avoid the accident.
In other words, icy or snow-covered roads aren’t an absolute defense against your auto injury lawsuit if the driver you sued improperly failed to yield the right of way, failed to see something he or she should have seen, or was going too fast for the road conditions. Just because a driver was going at or below the posted speed limit doesn’t mean that you cannot prove that he or she was going too fast for the road conditions. A driver going 45 mph on a road with a 55-mph speed limit may still be going too fast if the road is covered in ice.
You should definitely talk to an attorney if you’ve been hurt in a vehicle crash, whether the road conditions were totally dry or covered in snow and ice. The experienced Chicago car accident attorneys at Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca have been helping injured drivers and passengers for many years. To set up a free case evaluation, contact us at 312-724-5846 or through our website.
More Blog Posts:
Southern Illinois DOT Worker Receives $2.3M Damages Award After Injury Arising From Near-Collision With a Truck, Chicago Injury Attorneys Blog, Jan. 10, 2018
Winter Weather Driver Safety, Chicago Injury Attorneys Blog, Dec. 29, 2016