We recently mentioned that severe weather conditions are contributing to accidents, but the weather fluctuates, and it is not always so cold as to freeze roads. With this in mind, it is important to remember that just because the weather is not extreme does not mean that there are no dangers on the road. Even in normal weather, the roads are still a dangerous place, and any number of factors could contribute to a devastating car accident.
One such accident occurred recently in Rhode Island when a young man allegedly caused an accident while driving the wrong way down I-95. The young man has been charged with drunken driving, which may have contributed to his car crashing into an oncoming pickup truck. The accident claimed the life of his passenger and caused serious injury to one of the two Massachusetts residents in the pickup truck. The young man driving the other vehicle escaped with non-life-threatening injuries.
It is an unfortunate but necessary risk that nearly all people must take at some time or another. We cannot simply stop driving; we still have to go to work and buy groceries, but being on the road automatically makes you at risk for an accident. Even if you are a defensive driver who has never been ticketed or gotten into an accident, you cannot control the other drivers on the road. What you can control is what happens after the accident.
If you or a loved one is injured in a car accident, you will likely be facing large unexpected medical costs. You should not have to pay for the negligence of another, which is why the law allows you to recover compensation for your injuries. A successful lawsuit can ensure that the person who caused the accident pays for the fallout, not the person who was victimized.
Source: Boston Herald, “Police: 1 killed, 3 hurt in wrong-way Interstate 95 crash,” March 8, 2015
