Pennsylvania State Police are blaming the unsafe driving of an adolescent during wintry weather conditions for a Christmas morning auto accident outside of Pittsburgh, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The attending trooper says that the teenager’s Grand Am went off the roadway and hit the guardrail which then catapulted him back into oncoming traffic on the opposite side of the highway. The young man was charged with driving too fast for conditions.
Later in the morning, reports the Tribune-Review, two more people sustained injuries after an auto struck a guardrail and a fire hydrant and then rolled several times before coming to a rest. One of the passengers was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and was listed in critical condition. Another was treated for minor injuries.
Winter weather certainly played a role in both of these accidents, but it appears that unsafe driving was also a factor. When winter weather is to blame, most people consider it a true auto accident and think nothing more of it. However, when other factors play a part, factors that did not have to happen, it is arguable that the event was no longer an accident per se, but more the result of negligence. In other words, an accident is an unforeseeable chance happening, but a negligent act such as reckless driving or driving an auto above the speed limit is not really an accident because it could have been prevented.
In the case of these Christmas morning “accidents,” it would seem that they could have been prevented if the drivers in each case had not been driving in an unsafe manner given the road and weather conditions. Driving erratically or too fast is dangerous enough, but on wintry roads, it can prove disastrous. In the reported cases, the drivers were acting irresponsibly, especially given the Pittsburgh area weather, and as a result, innocent people sustained injuries and are now suffering. Injuries and suffering that could have and should have been avoided.
These cases illustrate why anyone who has been involved in an auto accident, especially one where the term “accident” seems less accurate than negligence, should contact a lawyer immediately. An experienced lawyer will be able to determine if and the degree to which someone else might be responsible for the accident. If negligence is involved, the lawyer will also have the ability to hold all of the parties accountable. The injured victim is entitled to compensation and the knowledge that justice has been served. When an accident was not really accidental, having a competent auto accident lawyer will yield the best results possible.
