We’ve all been there. You’re driving your car after a significant snowfall. Roads are plowed. Ice is melting. Traffic is flowing. You’re humming to a tune on the radio. And then suddenly, out of the blue, a totally unexpected chunk of snow or “ice missile” smashes into your car windshield.
Where the heck did that come from? From the vehicle in front of yours – most likely the roof, or possibly the hood or trunk lid. That driver cleared all the snow off his car – except for the snow on the roof of his vehicle. What happens when a large amount of snow or ice is left on top of a vehicle that’s moving at any speed faster than 10 MPH? That snow comes off the vehicle – either in a blinding cloud of snow, or a huge chunk of snow. Airborne, it will crash into someone else’s windshield, obstructing that driver’s view of the road and creating significant danger.
The result? You’re startled. You slam on the brakes, swerve into the other lane, lose control of your vehicle and crash into another vehicle, likely resulting in serious injuries. If your car is struck by snow or ice due to another driver’s failure to remove that snow from the roof, hood or trunk of his vehicle, and you are injured in a resulting motor vehicle accident, you’re going to need an experienced Boston, Massachusetts car accident lawyer. You may be entitled to significant financial compensation for your injuries, based on the negligence of the other driver.
Many drivers do not realize that when they fail to properly remove snow from their car roofs, they are causing serious safety hazards on Massachusetts roads. If an accident occurs and you happen to be the driver who had not cleared the snow or ice from your vehicle, you can, and probably will, be cited for either what is known legally as “Driving with an Unsecured Load,” which can cost you up top $200.00, or “Driving To Endanger,” which is a more serious, criminal offense. Either way, it’s going to cost you. A recent video clip from WBZ-TV4 on this subject can make this a little clearer; click here to see that clip.
As a Dedham, Massachusetts car accident lawyer, I hope that I can convince all Massachusetts drivers to take the extra five minutes, when clearing snow off their cars, to make sure they clear their car roofs, hoods and trunks. All drivers have enough to worry about on the road, without having the unnecessary anxiety of never knowing if a flying avalanche will come crashing down and cause another Massachusetts car accident.
Use your head. Enough said.