How Weather Can Affect a Car Accident Case

You recently had an auto collision, and as you’re thinking back on the factors that could have contributed to causing it, you’ve identified the weather.

As you are aware, we get all types of weather here in Reno and Nevada at large. This includes rain, ice, snow, sunny days, and more. So, how does weather affect a car accident case?

Different Types of Weather Patterns and the Potential Impact They Can Have on Your Crash

Some climate issues create mayhem on the roadways, giving way to crashes. Some of the most common weather concerns that create problems include:

Rain

A good rule of thumb is to take it particularly easy in the first 10 to 20 minutes after the rain starts. Why? It’s because this is when water begins accumulating enough that roadways become slippery. This can affect braking distances, and heavy rainfall can also affect visibility.

Ice

Most of us have seen our fair share of “bridges ice before road” signs. While these focus on overpasses, black ice, for example, can easily accumulate almost anywhere. If motorists don’t remain on the lookout for ice, take precautions to slow their speed and navigate around it, car wrecks can occur — and pretty catastrophic ones at that.

Snow

While a dusting of snow may quickly melt upon making contact with the roadway, depending on the ambient temperatures, more significant snowfall can give way to a whiteout, slippery roads not made from braking — even if motorists are traveling at a slow rate of speed, and another issue that can cause car crashes in Reno.

Sun Glare

Whether you’re traveling down the road at sunrise or sunset, you may encounter a significant, blinding sun glare. It may be far beyond what a sun visor can help you with. It can affect your ability to see vehicles (and you) even if they’re mere feet ahead or behind. Therefore, it’s not uncommon for sun glare to give way to auto collisions.

The above phenomena are just four of many different weather concerns that are often cited for contributing to causing car accidents in Nevada.

Who Can You Hold Liable If Weather Contributed to Causing a Motor Vehicle Collision?

If you believe one of the factors above caused your crash, you’ll want to know what legal options are available to you for recovering compensation for any losses the collision may have caused like your injuries and property damage.

Since Nevada is an at-fault state, you’d generally be able to file a claim with the insurance company of the person who struck you to recover a settlement for any losses you could show they caused you to sustain. That may still be an option if you can show that a motorist didn’t respond to the inclement weather and more slippery roads by slowing their speeds or applying their brakes sooner rather than later.

What happens if you sustained injuries or property damage after colliding with someone because you didn’t take precautionary measures, though? It’s likely that if you caused someone else to suffer injuries (like the driver you struck), they’re going to file a claim against your insurer for their own accident-related losses. Where does that leave you then?

While Nevada auto insurance minimum coverage limits may not require you to have it, insurers will often offer various additional policy extras. Some might include medical payments (known as med pay), underinsured motorist (UIM), or collision coverage. Provided that you have one of these options added to your policy, you might be able to use them to pay for what you need — and it may not matter that your crash resulted from you adjusting your driving for the weather.

In other words, if a motorist who was affected by the weather strikes and injures you, you might be entitled to file a claim with their insurer to recover compensation for your crash-related losses. If the weather contributed to you causing a crash that left you with injuries, you may be able to tap into your own coverage for compensation.

Where To Get Help After a Weather-Involved Car Accident in Nevada Injured You

Liability is one of the most challenging aspects of an auto collision case. Why? It comes down to what may initially appear to be the person who caused or the factor that contributed to the crash may not be it. This is often why car accident attorneys in Albuquerque, like ours, carefully analyze crash reports and other evidence to determine causation for these incidents. It’s only then that we can determine who to hold accountable for what happened.

Once we make that determination, the challenges aren’t over. Insurers are bound to push back on fault determinations to minimize their expenditures. Lawyers like ours can be strong advocates in situations like these.

If you want to speak with a lawyer about your weather-related car crash, get in touch with us at the Law Office of Matthew L. Sharp by phone or using our online form linked at the top of this page. We’re eager to speak with you.