The colossal crash on an icy Texas interstate near Fort Worth, which involved over 130 vehicles and left six people dead and dozens injured, was one of numerous tragic roadway accidents that occurred during a ferocious winter storm last week that pummeled parts of the U.S. rain, sleet and snow.
One of the worst crashes yet this winter, the Texas accident involved a tangle of semitrailers, cars and trucks, which had smashed into each other and turned every which way, with some vehicles on top of others.
Data collected from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration shows there are over 5,870,000 vehicle crashes each year. Twenty-three percent of those (almost 1,312,000) are weather-related. On average, 6,250 people are killed and over 480,000 people are injured in weather-related crashes annually. Over 70 percent of the nation’s roads are located in snowy regions that receive more than five inches of average snowfall each year.
AccuWeather ranks spin-out collisions as the number-one cause of winter accidents. This is not surprising when you consider how slippery roads are. The almost invisible patch of black ice can send you into a tailspin, literally and figuratively. Other leading causes of winter accidents are rear-end collisions and lane drifting. In these conditions, a driver’s braking ability can become seriously impaired. It takes much longer to stop and often happens only when the vehicle hits something.
If you find yourself behind the wheel in bad winter weather, remember to stay alert and drive slowly. And fasten that seatbelt. Keep in mind that if your car slides on ice and hits another vehicle, Illinois considers it an at-fault accident, which means that the “fault” driver and their insurer are liable for damages that occurred.
The Chicago car accident lawyers at Smith LaCien LLP concentrate on catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice. The firm has a lengthy track record of achieving exceptional results for clients, with more than $2 billion in verdicts and settlements, and over 100 cases with results of at least $1 million. If you believe you have a case, contact us at (312) 509-8900 or fill out our contact form here.