Winter weather is one of the biggest factors in car accidents across the country. An estimated 3 million people are injured in car accidents every year, and those numbers experience a spike when severe storms arrive.
Winter Storm Nadia has recently taken on the mantle of a deadly storm; after triggering at least 125 crashes in Missouri where 19 people were hurt and one died, she continued her rampage west. Nadia’s seemingly endless heavy snowfall persisted for days, forcing the Interstate 80 from Colfax to the Nevada line to close due to white-out conditions. The National Weather Service also noted that the storm caused more than 1,000 lightning strikes in an event the agency categorizes as “rare.”
Even in states used to a warm, mild climate can end up suffering the effects of a devastating storm; Redding, California, received more than a foot of snow from Nadia, which resulted in the city of 100,000 effectively shutting down. Roads became completely impassable, and many homes and business lost power for several days due to the onslaught of heavy snow.
“We’ve been here since 2002 and we’ve had snow maybe four times, but nothing like this,” local resident Chris Belcastro said. “Branches as big as four inches around just snapped off. It’s just a really heavy snow.”
Since 52% of personal injury claims involve motor vehicle accidents, the influence of inclement weather can play a huge role. If you claim the other driver was negligent, your car accident attorneys or personal injury lawyers will have to spend a significant amount of time determining whether or not you have a case. In more temperate conditions, such as a light drizzle, weather will not play a factor and your car accident attorney will instead focus on your (and the other driver’s) behavior; with a violent storm like Nadia, however, weather becomes a factor and can make the process more complicated.
Unless you’ve already experienced an accident where heavy weather was involved, your best bet — for avoiding both injuries and accidents — is too simply stay inside until the storm passes.