Bad weather accidents are far too common in Texas, and they often involve rain, hail, wind, dust, and more. In Texas, many drivers lack experience navigating snowy, icy roads. All of these factors can lead to devastating bad weather accidents. If you or your loved one have been injured in a bad weather accident in Texas, reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
Contact a Bad Weather Accident Attorney in Houston
At Ceja Law Firm PLLC, we have a proven track record of successfully obtaining compensation for clients who’ve been injured in bad weather car accidents. If another driver’s negligence caused your injuries, you might have a right to compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. Contact our skilled personal injury attorneys today to schedule your initial consultation.
Bad Weather Can Cause Serious Truck Accidents
When driving in bad weather, the likelihood of bad weather driving accidents increases exponentially. Bad weather storms can cause fog, snow, rain, wind, and sleet that increase bad weather car accidents.
When drivers cannot see beyond the hood of their car due to bad weather, they often suffer more than just a natural impaired ability to drive. When drivers become alarmed for their safety during inclement weather, it slows down their reaction times and their brain’s ability to think clearly in dangerous conditions. Sometimes it only takes a momentary lapse in attention or to cause a significant bad weather road accident.
Icy patches can catch you off guard and cause a vehicle to spin out of control. During heavy rain, the tires may lose traction with the asphalt, causing the vehicle to spin. Additionally, a driver may be blown off course due to high wind speeds or collide with debris tumbling across a Texas highway. Slippery piles of leaves strewn over the pavement in the fall can also cause devastating car accidents.
Hot Weather Risks
Many people associate bad weather car accidents with winter storms. However, the high temperatures during Texas summers can also contribute to accidents. The hot air can lead to pop-up storms and increase dust during the summer. Tire blow-outs also commonly occur in extreme heat and can lead to car accidents. During extreme heat, the air pressure in tires can increase, leading them to pop and a driver swerving on any highway or road in the state.
Proving Liability in a Bad Weather Car Accident
While nobody can stop bad weather from occurring, all drivers have a legal duty to adjust their driving during bad weather to prevent accidents. Determining fault in a bad weather accident can be challenging. After you are in an accident, an insurance company will review the evidence in the case to decide whether or not you are at fault. We recommend discussing your bad weather car accident case with an attorney before answering questions from an insurance adjuster. Insurance companies are notorious for trying to blame the victim for avoiding paying compensation.
One of our attorneys can help you prepare a statement and handle the communication between you and the insurance company. In some cases, even if you were at fault for the accident, you will still be able to claim that an “act of God caused the accident.” these are typically accidents that come from unexpected weather such as hurricanes or tornadoes. Dust storms that arise suddenly or severe storms on hot summer days may also fall into this category. An attorney can help you navigate the path you should take to obtain the compensation you deserve.
Bringing a Personal Injury Lawsuit Against the At-Fault Driver
You may need to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver who caused your accident. The at-fault driver may try to claim that the accident was out of his or her hands because of the bad weather conditions. However, all drivers have a duty to drive reasonably under the circumstances, including bad weather. A driver can be liable due to disobeying road science and speeding when it rains heavily outside. Additionally, the at-fault driver may have taken one or more of the following negligent actions that caused the car accident:
- Using defective windshield wipers
- Failure to obey traffic lights
- Not turning headlights on
- Driving while under the influence of alcohol
- Driving while distracted or tired
- Driving recklessly
- Failure to pull off to the side of the road
- Failure to drive at the same speed as the other drivers
- Failure to turn on hazard lights
- Failure to slow down below the posted speed limit
Recovering Damages in a Bad Weather Car Accident
As mentioned above, one or more drivers are liable for a bad weather car accident in most cases. All drivers have a duty to know how to drive responsibly even in poor weather conditions. If you have been the victim of a bad weather car accident, you can bring a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver. You will need to prove that the at-fault driver’s negligence or recklessness caused the car accident that resulted in your injuries. Successful personal injury plaintiffs are entitled to several different types of compensation, including economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.
Economic damages are easy to quantify, such as medical expenses, lost income, and property damage. Plaintiffs are also entitled to non-economic damages for the pain and suffering they have endured due to their injuries. In some cases where the defendant has acted egregiously, Texas courts will award additional punitive damages to punish the defendant and serve as a warning.
Discuss Your Bad Weather Accident Case With a Houston Attorney Today
Rain, fog, wind, snow, and sleet can all contribute to bad weather car accidents in Texas. If you’ve been injured in a bad weather car accident, reaching out to an attorney can help you understand your rights. Even if you think you may have been at fault, one of the attorneys at Ceja Law Firm, PLLC, can help you determine whether you are entitled to compensation for your injuries. Contact Ceja Law Firm PLLC today to schedule your free initial consultation.
Ceja Law Firm PLLC helps clients with inclement or bad weather car accident cases throughout Harris County and the Greater Houston Area including Pasadena, Baytown, Sugar Land, Bellaire, Galveston, Texas City, Jacinto City, and more.