Normally, when two vehicles collide, one of the drivers is negligent and is held responsible for the accident. However, there are some cases where nobody is at fault especially during adverse weather conditions. In fact, 21% of car crashes are weather-related according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog, blowing sand, and strong crosswinds can all contribute to an accident. There are three steps you should take after you have had an accident due to adverse weather conditions.
1. Contact Emergency Responders
If you are in an accident during adverse weather conditions, call 911 and wait for emergency responders to arrive. Remember to turn on your hazard lights. Even if you do not believe that you're injured, you must wait for the police to arrive and file a police report and you may not be able to drive away safely due to the weather.
2. Take Photographs of the Road Conditions
Photograph the accident if you can do so safely. Besides showing the extent of the damage, you will also want to show the road conditions to provide more context for the accident. Once the weather clears up, you will be forced to rely on witness testimony and the police report if the road conditions play a critical role in your case.
Stay in your car if the weather is so extreme that you would be placed in danger otherwise. For example, do not leave if:
In most cases, the safest place to pull over is on the shoulder. Then, you may need to let the authorities and an auto accident attorney sort out the mess.
3. Work with an Auto Accident Attorney
Because it's so difficult to sort out accidents involving adverse weather conditions, you must work with an attorney who has experience with these cases. There may be other factors at play such as a DUI or a driver who was traveling dangerously fast on slick roads.
If you aren't able to gather enough evidence to prove that the other driver was negligent, the courts may find that nobody was at fault and you would then be forced to pay for any expenses incurred by the accident. Fortunately, a skilled attorney has ways of digging up the information you would not even think to look for that can bolster your case.
For more information on weather-related car accidents, consider reaching out to an auto accident attorney.
Share5 June 2020
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