Wet roads cause dangerous driving conditions for a number of reasons. If a vehicle isn’t properly maintained this can make driving even more dangerous and contribute to a car accident. Read on to learn more about the dangers of wet roads and the factors that contribute to accidents.
Why More Car Accidents May Occur When It’s Raining
Wet roads may contribute to an increased risk of getting into a car accident in a number of ways. Some of the ways rain affects the risk of car accidents include the following:
- Reduced friction: Rain may affect the amount of friction between the car and the roadway, making it difficult for the driver to keep control of the vehicle.
- Standing water: If a roadway or section of the roadway is submerged or covered in water, this can make hydroplaning almost unavoidable.
- Effects on driver ability: Being unable to see the road properly due to heavy rainfall can make it difficult to know when to signal, when to stop, and more.
- Effects on traffic: Drivers may become anxious and all slow driving speeds at once, leading to traffic jams, pileups, or increased risk of car crashes.
- Effects on driver reaction: Due to anxiety over weather conditions, a driver may over-correct or under-correct their actions while driving.
- Effects on vehicle speed: Too much rain can make it difficult for drivers to gauge a safe driving speed. Speed is a factor in many motor vehicle accidents.
- Effects on protective driving measures: If you cannot see the car in front of you, or properly see what’s around you, you may not be able to stop in time to avoid a crash.
Factors That May Affect Wet Road Accidents
Slick roads may put you at a higher risk of getting into a car accident. Yet there are a number of measures you can take to avoid accidents, such as keeping your distance from the car in front of you, slowing down, and ensuring your vehicle is well-maintained. The following are factors that may increase your risk of getting into an accident when driving on wet roads:
- Non-working windshield wipers: Having working windshield wipers can be crucial to staying safe while driving on wet roads since visibility is key to safe driving.
- Non-working brakes: You don’t want to brake too much when driving in the rain in order to help avoid hydroplaning, but brakes are necessary for safe driving in any road condition.
- When you begin driving: The first few minutes of any rainstorm may be the most dangerous, since the rain mixes with oils on the roadways, creating slippery roads.
- Improperly maintained tires: Worn or ‘bald’ tires may make hydroplaning, or driving on a layer of water between your car and the road, almost inevitable.
- Using cruise control: Maintaining control of your vehicle on slick roads is important, and this can include being able to control your speed manually.
- Other road conditions: Potholes, roadblocks, unexpected animals crossing the road, and other unforeseen conditions can make car crashes more likely when wet roads are involved.
Common Places Where Wet Road Car Accidents Occur
Wet weather may contribute to car accidents anywhere, but there are a number of places where you may be more at risk for getting into an accident due to wet roads. These may include the following:
- Places where the road is not maintained: Potholes, road construction areas, uneven roads, narrow shoulders, and other conditions could contribute to your auto accident risk.
- Highways that are known to be dangerous: Freeways and other roadways known to have heavy traffic may result in pile-ups or car crashes due to the volume of vehicles on the road when inclement weather begins.
- Places with hot, dry weather conditions: Oil and grease buildup on the road can mix with the rain, causing slippery driving conditions.
- Roadways with standing water: Improperly maintained roads can lead to road dips where water piles up in puddles, which can increase your risk of hydroplaning. To avoid a skid, drive in the tracks of the car traveling in front of you.
- Highways with blind curves: It’s important to be cautious when driving on curvy roads in good weather conditions, but it becomes especially crucial when roads are wet.
Regardless of driving conditions, motorists are expected to follow all traffic safety laws. When they don’t and their negligence leads to an auto accident, accident victims can take legal action. If you were hurt in a wet road accident, consider speaking to a personal injury attorney to learn your legal rights.
Injuries That May Result From Car Crashes
As with other car accidents, vehicle collisions and other crashes caused by wet road conditions can lead to a number of serious injuries.
Injuries that result from another driver’s careless actions (known as negligence) can lead to personal injury cases to cover the cost of medical expenses and other costs incurred from the accident. Here are some of the most common injuries that result from auto accidents:
- Broken bones
- Burns or lacerations
- Bumps and bruising
- Head, back, and neck injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
- Whiplash
- Dismemberment
- Disfigurement
- Paralysis
- Wrongful death
Don’t discount your injuries if you believe they are minor before talking to a car accident lawyer. In fact, injuries are not the only damages you can list on a personal injury claim. You can claim expenses related to your recovery as well, from at-home help to lost wages and employee benefits, health insurance coverage, and more.
A lawyer can help assess your case and identify all the ways the car accident impacted your life. With a thorough case evaluation, you’ll be able to claim the maximum damages for your case. At the law offices of Florin|Roebig, we work hard to ensure you receive fair compensation, and we will leave no stone unturned in evaluating your case.
Are Drivers Liable for Car Accidents Caused by Road Conditions?
Drivers may be held liable for a car accident if their negligence led to the accident. That is, if you were hit by a driver whose actions caused a collision that resulted in your injuries, you may be able to name the driver as the liable party in a personal injury claim.
Wet road surfaces can increase the chances of a car crash — it’s true. But drivers still have a responsibility to follow all traffic laws and to consider the safety of others on the roadway when making driving decisions.
For example, if you are traveling on a roadway with a slick surface and following all traffic laws, and another car speeds around you, causing them to lose control of the vehicle and strike yours, they may be liable for the accident.
Similarly, if a driver is in a car with brakes that don’t work properly or failing windshield wipers and either of these factors leads to an accident, they could be held liable for the crash. While weather-related conditions are taken into account for car accident claims, they do not absolve a driver from their negligence.
If you or a loved one suffered serious injuries in a vehicle collision caused by a negligent driver, you may be able to file an injury claim, regardless of road conditions. Talk to the Florin|Roebig law firm now to learn more.
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Can I Sue for a Car Accident Caused by Wet Roads?
You may be able to sue the liable party for injuries caused by a car accident. This depends on whether the other driver was at fault for the accident. Determining fault can be tricky. Most states consider fault in percentages. That is, they consider all the factors that may have contributed to the car accident and assign a level of fault to all parties involved.
For instance, if you are driving and hit the car in front of you because they have faulty brakes, that person may be considered at fault for the accident. However, if this accident occurred during wet road conditions, the courts may take this factor into account and not assign 100% fault to the negligent driver.
Or, if you hit the car with faulty brakes in front of you, but it’s revealed that you were texting while driving at the time of the accident, both you and the driver in front of you could be held liable for the accident. Because determining fault is complicated, it’s best to work with a car accident lawyer on your case.
An experienced car accident lawyer can review all the details related to your case, from witness statements to photos of the accident scene and more — to build your case. This will give you a strong foundation for your claim to help ensure you are not assigned any more fault than is rightfully yours.
Proving Negligence In Wet Road Accident Cases
How do you prove that the driver who caused the accident was negligent? Negligence, in legal terms, depends on a few factors. These include the following:
- You must prove that the driver was negligent, or acted in a way that a reasonable person in the same situation would not have acted.
- You must prove that the negligence directly led to the accident.
- You must prove that the accident directly resulted in your injuries.
Each of these details takes time to prove and much fact-checking, but a quality car accident attorney will be up to the task. It’s also important to note that fault and negligence do not mean the same thing. A person may be at fault for the accident, but that does not mean they were necessarily negligent.
This may be especially true when the accident involves wet road conditions. One example of this is hydroplaning. You don’t have to be speeding or breaking any traffic laws to hydroplane. If someone is traveling in another car’s path when that car begins to hydroplane, this could lead to a collision. In that case, the driver would not necessarily be at fault or considered negligent.
Yet, if in that same case, the hydroplaning occurred due to a problem in the roadway, you may be able to file a claim against the party responsible for maintaining the road. Working with an attorney can help uncomplicate the process of proving negligence and determining fault in car accident cases.
Benefits of Working With A Wet Road Car Accident Attorney
You may see numerous benefits from working with a personal injury lawyer for your case. At the law offices of Florin | Roebig, we work hard to establish a strong client relationship, to keep you well-informed throughout your case, and to do everything in our power to seek fair compensation on your behalf. Just a few advantages of working with our injury lawyers include:
- Having a knowledgeable representative to communicate with the insurance company or companies involved in the case
- A thorough case evaluation to provide you with the possible outcomes
- Solid legal representation for your claim from highly skilled legal professionals
- Access to a breakdown of the laws and details that will apply to or affect your case
- Unlimited access to sound legal advice
- A successful track record in a number of practice areas
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Connect With the Best Car Accident Lawyer for Your Case
If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury or other physical harm due to a wet road accident, you may be able to take legal action to seek compensation. When you work with the law offices of Florin | Roebig on your case, we will connect you with one of our esteemed car accident lawyers who will work diligently on your case from start to finish.
Our reputation in Florida and beyond precedes us, and we are ready to put our skills to work for you or your loved one. Reach out to us today for your free case evaluation and to get started on your case.
