If you’re going through a personal injury alone and dealing with the frustrations of it, getting a personal injury lawyer in Concord, Canada can help.
No one wants to be going through a personal injury alone. When you’re going through a personal injury, you want to spend your time recovering instead of trying to develop a case in order to maximize your compensation. Getting a personal injury lawyer in Concord, Canada will go a long way in making sure you get the benefits you deserve for your injury.
Black Ice Accidents
When people are driving in winter and other cold weather conditions, black ice can begin to accumulate on the roads. Black ice is a thin layer of ice that doesn’t even look like much of anything, but it is extremely slippery and dangerous. If you lose focus or pay attention to something else for a split second while driving on black ice, things could turn disastrous very fast and result in a personal injury to you or someone else.
Black ice is very difficult to see, and that’s what makes it so dangerous to drive on. If you’ve recently been in an accident due to black ice, you’ll want to consult with a personal injury lawyer to guide you through the next steps.
How Does Black Ice Develop?
Black ice is still transparent, and it gets its name because of the color of the black pavement underneath the ice. You can still see right through the ice, and most people can’t even tell that they are driving on ice until their vehicle begins slipping all over the place.
Ice has the tendency to develop on any surfaces that have moisture on them. If it rained overnight and the temperature dropped to below zero by morning, there will undoubtedly be black ice covering the roads. This usually happens when the temperatures keep fluctuating between above zero and below zero, and when those conditions arise, you’ll want to drive as carefully as you can.
Black ice can also be caused by snow melting and refreezing constantly, depending on the temperatures. Black ice is commonly seen on bridges or overpasses because the air that circulates underneath them can cause the surfaces of the roads to become a lot colder than normal. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for black ice that develops in shaded areas of the road where the temperatures will be colder in comparison to the other parts of the roads.
Navigating Your Way Through Black Ice
Driving on black ice is very stressful because it’s very difficult to see. Most people don’t even realize they are on an icy surface until they are. You’ll always want to drive very carefully whenever temperatures drop below freezing overnight. Lower the speed of your vehicle and keep a careful eye out for other drivers on the road. Keep a lot of space between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you. You’ll also want to refrain from making any sudden movements, such as pulling into the lane next to you in order to pass the vehicle in front of you.
If you start to feel your vehicle losing control, you don’t want to slam your brakes. Slamming your brakes on an icy surface will cause it to begin sliding even more and result in you losing even more control. You’ll want to take your foot off of the gas pedal in order to give your vehicle more control. As you gradually begin to gain control, begin proceeding back into a straight line on the road.
It’s a gut reaction to slam the brakes when you feel your vehicle sliding out of control, but that should always be avoided. Turning into the skid is a better way to get control back while you’re driving on ice.
When you’re driving on black ice, your tires don’t have any traction, whereas, with snow, you at least have something for your tires to grab onto. If you’ve hit a patch of black ice, you don’t want to panic. Stay calm, stop giving your vehicle gas, and let it gradually slow itself down.
Be Cautious
A lot of newer vehicle models have fancy gauges that tell you when you’re driving on black ice. If the temperature is just below freezing, there is a good chance that there will be a few patches of black ice on the road if there was any moisture or condensation lingering around.
You won’t want to put your full trust in the thermometers, just like many other pieces of technology on the market these days. You’ll always want to go with your gut reaction. If you think you’re on a patch of black ice because you feel less control over your vehicle, then you probably are even if your gauges tell you otherwise.
Always keep a keen eye on the temperature outside before you begin driving. Even if you have kept a careful watch on the conditions of the road, that isn’t to say that everyone else has. Being an offensive driver and staying fully alert is the best recommendation to safely proceed on black ice. Always leave additional space ahead of you if there are vehicles there.
Black Ice Accidents And Injuries
If you were out driving on black ice and were in a car accident because of it, there is a chance that you have eligibility for statutory accident benefits if your accident resulted in injuries. It doesn’t matter if you were at fault or not. If your accident was caused by another driver on the road, then there is a chance you could sue them and gain compensation for your personal injuries.
Another factor to consider is the status of the road conditions at the time you were driving. If the roads weren’t maintained, you could develop a case against the municipality. Keep in mind that the notice period for this is only ten days, so you’d have to act fast under these circumstances. No matter what the cause for your personal injury, you’ll want to consult with a personal injury lawyer as soon as you can.
The lawyers at GSK Personal Injury Law contain much experience in the field of personal injuries. All it takes is a brief, free initial consultation in order to figure out if you have a case.
