SUE DRIVER THAT SLID INTO ME HIT ICE PATCH OR ICY ROAD – ATTORNEYS

In Minnesota winters, ice patches or “black ice” on the roads can cause slippery and dangerous driving conditions. Our auto accident lawyers handle injury cases where people are injured in a car crash on an icy road or slippery road. Many times, another car hit a patch of ice and slid into you. The question our attorneys are asked is: “A car slid into me and hit me because of ice or black ice, are they responsible?”

Sometimes, the driver causing the accident – or his insurance company – will argue. They claim the other driver is not responsible when he skids or slides into another car. Likewise, when they or rear end a car because of ice on the road. In Minnesota, there is a rule that loss of control or skidding is not by itself negligence. This has been applied in various situations, including wet, slippery road conditions. A driver is not necessarily negligent when he fails to anticipate a sudden or hidden change in local road conditions.

ICE ON ROAD NOT AN EXCUSE

However, Minnesota drivers are held to a duty of due care in operating a vehicle. The driver of a car owes a duty to all others on the roads to operate his vehicle safely and in compliance with traffic laws. In particular, they must drive with due care in light of the conditions. An experienced car accident attorney knows that violation of a traffic law is prima facie evidence of negligence. “Due care” means balancing the likelihood of harm against the burden of the precaution to avoid the harm. It’s not too much of a burden to slow down on an icy road.

The manner of driving prior to skidding and the control of the car both before and after skidding presents a situation where an inference of negligence is permissible. The court focuses on a driver’s responsiveness to the weather conditions immediately before loss of control of the vehicle. Driving too fast for the conditions, or too close to the car ahead of you in icy conditions, can be negligence that requires compensation for the person injured in the accident.

KEEP SAFE DISTANCE ON ICY ROAD

Often, a top car accident attorney will succeed by finding supportive witnesses, or with the help of an accident reconstructionist. We will show that the driver should have known about the danger from ice or weather, and should have adjusted his driving accordingly. In other words, a reasonable person would have driven at a slower speed or kept a greater distance. Therefore, even with ice on the road, the crash should not have happened. When a driver drives to fast on an icy road, he is at fault for causing the accident.

CRASH ON ICY ROAD – MN INJURY LAWYERS

Cases where one car slides into another car because of black ice can be challenging for a Minnesota lawyer. Insurance companies like to argue that weather lets them off the hook. However, our MN car crash lawyers have successfully pursued many cases like this. Sometimes we find witnesses that verify the other driver was going too fast or driving too close.

If you are injured in a car accident because another driver slid into your car because of an icy road or hits a patch of ice, please call our personal injury lawyers for a free consultation. Pam Rochlin and David Rochlin are Minnesota personal injury attorneys with more than 25 years’ experience. We have represented hundreds of people injured in car accident cases. Pam was a former partner at Meshbesher & Spence, and offers small firm attention to her clients. An auto accident lawyer can meet with you to discuss your auto injury case at our offices in Edina, Woodbury and Minneapolis.

A top car accident attorney will also meet people at their homes to discuss car accident injury cases in St. Paul, Roseville, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, White Bear Lake, Forest Lake, and Lino Lakes. Our lawyers also come to Anoka, Maple Grove, Apple Valley, Lakeville, Burnsville, and other cities throughout Minnesota. We will always provide you with a free initial consultation and we never charge anything unless you receive compensation.