Car accidents happen for many reasons. While accidents can happen on the sunniest of days, bad weather increases the likelihood of accidents. Weather conditions play a large part in many accidents, so determining who is at fault can sometimes be challenging.
Why Do Insurance Companies Deny Claims for Bad Weather Accidents?
Recovering compensation for your damages due to bad weather, or even good weather, requires proof of the other driver acting negligently in causing the accident. You also must prove your injuries and damages to personal property were the result of the other driver’s negligence.
Proving negligence in a car accident caused by bad weather may present a challenge to claims. Insurance companies may blame the weather for causing the accident, instead of their insured driver. An attorney will start your case by investigating the accident thoroughly, including what role, if any, the weather played to take on the possible challenges presented by the bad weather.
What Is a Driver’s Responsibility on the Roadway?
Drivers must always operate their vehicle with care, keep their vehicle under proper control, and maintain the vehicle so it is safe for the road. To prove negligence of the other driver in an accident in bad weather, you must show that they failed to uphold this responsibility.
Operating a vehicle in bad weather requires an even higher expectation for a driver’s responsibilities. For instance, when rain limits your visibility and causes the water to pool on the roads, the driver remains responsible to keep their vehicle under proper control and to pay even more attention.
Drivers also have a duty to obey speed limits accordingly. Speed limits are designed for ideal road conditions, not the poor conditions caused by bad weather. When a driver is traveling too fast in wet conditions and loses control of the vehicle during bad weather, the driver could be responsible.
What Other Ways Could a Driver Be Negligent?
In addition those ordinary responsibilities, the driver should also use headlights so they are visible to other drivers, beware of hazards created by a storm, and have working windshield wipers to clearly see the roadway.
If you need assistance with a car accident claim, please contact us at Attorneys Lee Eadon Isgett Popwell & Owens. Our firm focuses on those who need assistance with car accidents and personal injuries. Please give us a call with any questions or concerns you have about your claim.
