It has been nearly two years since New York City saw more than a dusting of snow, but whether or not that dry spell is about to end, it only takes a little precipitation and temperatures just below freezing to cause major hazards for drivers. Even a small patch of ice that the salt truck missed on an otherwise clean road can send multiple vehicles skidding and colliding. If you were injured in an accident caused by patches of ice on a public road that city or county employees had not properly plowed or salted, you have the right to file a claim against the local authority that left the road in a hazardous condition. To find out more about your rights after being injured in a collision on an icy road that could have been less icy, contact a New York car accident lawyer.
One Patch of Ice on I-88 Crashes Six Vehicles
A patch of ice on an I-88 overpass caused a multi-vehicle pileup. Water on bridges and overpasses freezes even when the water on the main roads remains liquid because there is nothing but cold air under a bridge, whereas, on the main road, there is still some warm ground underneath the pavement. Therefore, one sometimes finds patches of ice on bridges even when the temperature is just slightly below freezing or even when the precipitation falls as rain during the day and then freezes when the temperature gets just a few degrees lower at night.
One morning in November 2023, just before 8:00 a.m., as the sun was starting to come out, a patch of ice remained on the I-88 West/I-81 South overpass above the Town of Chenango. A 2001 Dodge pickup truck was traveling west when it drove over a patch of ice and crashed, flipping over onto its hood. The car that had been traveling behind the Dodge pickup truck was able to avoid the patch of ice and avoid hitting the disabled vehicle. The vehicle behind this one was not able to stop, though, and it crashed into the car that was stopped in front of the patch of ice. This caused a chain reaction collision that eventually involved five vehicles.
The good news is that most of the occupants of the vehicles escaped serious injury. Only two people were injured seriously enough to require hospitalization. An investigation revealed that the source of the ice was a construction site water truck that was parked at the side of the road. The truck had been leaking water, and a pool of water that had collected on the overpass froze, turning into a patch of ice.
Contact Leitner Varughese Warywoda About Car Accident Cases
A car accident lawyer can help you if you suffer serious injuries in a car accident caused by icy road conditions in cold weather. Contact Leitner Varughese Warywoda PLLC in Brooklyn, New York, or call (212)671-1110 to discuss your case.
