You may notice a lot of reckless drivers on the roads, causing an alarming amount of car accidents reported throughout the state of Maryland each year. But there are rare instances in which car accidents may not prompted by the negligence of any drivers involved. Rather, the catalyst may be inclement weather conditions, dangerous road conditions, or otherwise external conditions beyond the reasonable control of all drivers involved. Follow along to find out what road conditions might be dangerous and how a proficient St. Mary’s County auto accident lawyer at The Dorsey Law Firm can help you recover from your encounter with one.
How might inclement weather conditions cause a car accident?
It is never recommended to head out onto the road when there are poor inclement weather conditions in the area. Nonetheless, if this is the root cause of your car accident, there may be more than one possible at-fault party.
For one, the other driver involved may be at fault if they breached their duty of care in failing to drive with extra precaution during poor inclement weather conditions (i.e., failing to drive below the speed limit, failing to drive with their headlights on, etc). Or, a car manufacturer may be at fault if a car involved had a design flaw only made apparent during poor inclement weather conditions (i.e., faulty brakes). Lastly, a state, county, or municipality may be at fault if poor road conditions (i.e., potholes, road designs vulnerable to flooding, etc). mixed with poor inclement weather conditions ultimately led to your accident.
How might dangerous road conditions cause a car accident?
Aside from the innumerable potholes you may dodge on Maryland roads, other dangerous road conditions may exist and thereby leave you susceptible to a car accident. More specific examples are as follows:
- There may be inadequate or broken guardrails on sharp curves, large overpasses, etc.
- There may be faded or nonexistent markings on roads with multiple lanes, two-way traffic, etc.
- There may be inadequate or nonexistent lighting in areas with poor visibility conditions, areas with construction zones, etc.
- There may be inadequate or improper signage regarding upcoming hazardous road conditions, upcoming construction zones, etc.
To reiterate, your car accident caused by dangerous road conditions may be due to no fault of your own or any other driver involved. Rather, it is likely that a state’s, county’s, or municipality’s department of transportation is to blame. Or, a construction company may be liable if your accident took place in a construction zone. In the end, you may require legal advisement to properly assign liability.
When dealing with an urgent matter like this one, you must drop everything and call a talented St. Mary’s County auto accident lawyer. Our team at The Dorsey Law Firm can help you pick up the pieces.
