Houma Accidents Involving Bad Weather

Bad weather can create conditions that increase the likelihood of getting into an accident, such as icy roads and low visibility. Houma accidents involving bad weather can cause serious damage to your health and to your motor vehicle. If you have been injured in an accident due to inclement weather, consult a qualified car accident attorney at Kopfler & Hermann today. A lawyer can guide you through this difficult time and serve as your advocate.

Warning Signs of Inclement Weather

There are often warning signs before Houma accidents involving bad weather occur. Other than in cold weather, there will be traffic signs to indicate that the bridges and overpasses may freeze over before the roadway does. The other warning sign would be puddling or pooling of water. This is seen, sometimes, on the elevated section of highway when drivers are coming off to grade or ground-level. There may be some pooling or puddling of water, and those can cause hydroplane problems. Bad visibility can be brought on by the fog in the wintertime or through a heavy rainstorm.

What Are the First Steps to Take Following an Accident in Bad Weather?

Follwoing a Houma accident involving bad weather, if the vehicle has come to a stop on a roadway, the person should do everything they can to get their car off the roadway as far as possible. If their flashers are operational, they should make sure they are on and, of course, the head lights and tail lights are on also.

If the crash was caused by someone else, it is always wise if the person can take photographs, perhaps with their cellphone. If anybody is injured, they should call 911, which is going to signal first responders, traffic police, and ambulances for people that are injured.

Ways Weather Can Impact the Assignment of Fault in a Car Accident

If there are adverse conditions under which a reasonable driver should operate his vehicle at a reduced speed, it could affect the person’s claim if they were driving the speed limit. The speed limits are for good conditions, not conditions with zero visibility or heavy rain. So, someone’s claim could be reduced by comparative fault if they are not taking into account the weather conditions — ice, fog or heavy rain — while they are operating their motor vehicle.

How Does an Attorney Proceed With a Case if There Was Not Another Vehicle Involved?

The way in which a lawyer proceeds in Houma accidents involving bad weather will depend on whether the governing body that had custody and control of the roadway had notice of potential hazards, particularly icing on a bridge at wintertime, and whether they took steps to correct any defects in the roadway due to icing, including putting out warnings about defects in the roadway due to icing.

Likewise, with strong southerly winds, sometimes here in Terrebonne Parish and Houma we get flooding on the roadways. If the Louisiana Department of Highways or the Parish, if it is a Parish roadway, had notice of flooding on the roadway and did not take steps to close the roadway and a driver happened upon the condition without adequate warning, then a person could have a recovery against the governing body responsible for maintaining and correcting any defects in the roadway during adverse weather conditions.

Discuss Houma Accidents Involving Bad Weather with an Attorney

An attorney can be an indispensible asset when dealing with Houma accidents involving bad weather. A lawyer can gather the historical record of the weather for the date, time, and location of the crash, both before the crash and after the crash, and can talk to witnesses to see if any of the people involved in the crash took photographs.

If the accident occured in a commercial area, lawyers can check for videotape of the event. If it is in a controlled intersection that has overhead cameras, the videotape sometimes can be obtained from local governing authorities or the state highway department. The troopers and local law enforcement who are investigating crashes often have dash-mounted video. More and more investigating officers, whether state police, local Parish Sheriff’s office, or municipalities like the Houma Police Department, have vest camera footage. All of these devices used by law enforcement can be retrieved with public records requests. Call Kopfler & Hermann now to get started.