Every winter, when the roads get icy, accidents happen; and snow-covered roads during the winter account for a large percentage of the total of car accidents in the Midwest states.
Due to the recent October snowstorm, many people from those states fell victim to poor road conditions and ice.
But When Ice Causes A Car Accident, Who’s Liable?
This may surprise you, but when the cause of two cars colliding is an icy road, the driver that slides is likely to find out that they can blame it on the ice… However, that said driver can’t escape the financial responsibility; and this is due to the way that the legal theory of negligence works.
Let Me Explain
To be found liable for negligence, it must be required that a person owes a duty to another, and that as a result of breaching that duty, the other person is injured or incurs financial damages.
When it comes to a car crash, every driver owes every other driver on the road a duty to drive safely and not collide with other vehicles on the road. So, if your car initiates the contact, or causes the collision, you’re going to be found negligent, even if you were sliding on ice.
Nearly every state’s traffic laws specifically declare that if the roads are icy, drivers should drive slower, increase following distance, and adapt to changing road and weather conditions.
You can blame ice, but you’ll still be liable.