As anyone who has driven during a storm well understands, inclement weather can create hazardous driving conditions. Snow, rain, sleet and fog can reduce visibility and create slick driving conditions that make it easier to lose control of a car. One element that people can overlook as a driving hazard, however, is wind.
Wind is particularly dangerous for trucks, as their large size can “catch” more wind, causing the truck to act like a sail. The higher the wind, the more likely it is to destabilize a truck; particularly an empty one traveling between loads. Other drivers in motor vehicles traveling near a truck in windy conditions, therefore, may be at a higher risk of being injured in a truck accident.
In a litigation context, a defendant in a truck accident case may argue that high winds had been responsible for an accident. But truck drivers have a responsibility to reduce their speed in dangerous weather conditions. In some cases, when the weather is bad enough, they may even have a duty to pull over and wait for the weather to pass. In other words, bad weather isn’t necessarily a viable excuse for an accident that caused someone injury; the more important question is whether the truck driver had adjusted his or her driving speed to match the severity of the conditions.
Truck accidents can cause severe injury, and require intense and long-term medical treatments. An experienced and committed lawyer will do everything in his or her power to make sure an injured client does not lose out on important compensation simply because the weather had been bad on the day of the accident.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO IF IN AN ACCIDENT?
Knowing what to do at the scene if you are ever involved in a car accident is very important. We have prepared a free Car Accident Checklist for you, to carry in your glovebox so you will know exactly what to do if you are ever involved in a car crash. We hope you find it useful and we recommend that you print it out and keep it in your car just in case.
For over two decades, I have zealously represented seriously injured clients in both the Ohio State and Federal Courts, litigating cases involving a variety of causes of action, such as wrongful death, birth/brain injuries, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, product liability, motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, bad-faith litigation against insurance companies, animal and dog bites, boating and water accidents and pedestrian accidents. I truly care and I am passionate about my clients. If you need help, it would be my honor to help you or a loved one rebuild your life and seek justice.
