Freezing rain starts to fall as you drive along U.S. 421 near Winston-Salem. The road glistens, traffic slows, and visibility drops. You ease up on the gas, keeping your distance.
Suddenly, a fully loaded tractor-trailer loses control on the icy pavement and skids into your lane. In seconds, your life changes, and you’re left wondering who’s responsible for the crash.
Incidents like this are far too common in North Carolina, where severe weather—from heavy rain and fog to black ice—creates treacherous driving conditions year-round. When a truck driver fails to slow down, maintain control, or pull over when conditions are unsafe, the consequences can be catastrophic for innocent drivers like you.
Learn how liability is determined in weather-related truck crashes and how our truck accident lawyers can help you pursue compensation for your injuries.
Weather Doesn’t Erase Responsibility
Bad weather can make driving dangerous, but it doesn’t excuse negligence. Federal law requires truck drivers to adjust their driving to match weather and road conditions. That means slowing down, leaving extra space between vehicles, and if conditions become too hazardous, pulling over until it is safe to continue.
According to state data, exceeding safe speed for conditions caused 10,987 crashes, and another 3,745 accidents happened when drivers swerved or lost control due to wind, slippery roads, or other hazards. These incidents often involve commercial trucks, which weigh up to 80,000 pounds and require longer to stop or regain traction.
If a truck driver fails to adjust to dangerous weather, the crash isn’t inevitable; it’s avoidable. You shouldn’t be left paying the price for someone else’s negligence.
How Trucking Companies May Share Fault
Trucking companies often play a major role in weather-related crashes. Federal Hours of Service (HOS) limits the time drivers can remain on the road without rest, and FMCSA safety regulations require them to exercise extreme caution or stop when conditions become hazardous.
However, some carriers pressure drivers to keep moving despite these rules, creating unnecessary risks that can end in tragedy.
Examples of this behavior include:
- Pushing drivers to meet delivery deadlines during storms or icy weather
- Discouraging rest breaks or pullovers to stay on schedule
- Failing to adjust routes or warn drivers about severe conditions
- Overlooking repeated safety or HOS violations to keep shipments moving
When these actions result in a weather-related truck accident, you have the right to seek damages from both the driver and the company for their negligence.
Other Liable Parties in Weather-Related Truck Accidents
In rare cases, liability may also extend to a state or local agency. If the crash occurred on a poorly maintained road, lacked proper warning signs, or had known drainage problems that led to flooding or ice, a government entity could share responsibility.
However, government immunity protections complicate these claims. An experienced truck accident attorney can review your case to determine who is liable and how to take legal action.
How an Attorney Can Help Prove Truck Accident Liability in Bad Weather
These types of crashes require a complete reconstruction to uncover the cause of the loss of control and determine if negligence, rather than weather, was to blame.
Our truck accident lawyers can:
- Investigate the Cause: Secure black box data, dashcam footage, GPS tracking logs, and official weather reports to verify the truck’s speed and assess whether the driver reduced speed for the conditions.
- Review Company Policies: Identify whether dispatch messages or scheduling emails pressured the driver to stay on the road despite warnings.
- Consult Experts: Collaborate with accident reconstruction experts and meteorologists to analyze the relationships among road and weather conditions, driver behavior, and accident outcomes.
- Preserve Critical Evidence: Send letters to the trucking company demanding preservation of electronic logs and maintenance records before they’re deleted or overwritten.
We manage complex weather-related truck accident claims by thoroughly investigating each cause and pursuing recovery from all negligent parties. Our attorneys are skilled at dismantling “act of God” or “unavoidable accident” defenses with solid facts and expert testimony.
Seek Fair Compensation After a Trucking Collision
No one can control the weather, but truck drivers can choose how they respond to it, and when they don’t, you’re the one who pays the price. You shouldn’t face that burden alone.
At Lewis & Keller Injury Lawyers, we fight as hard as we can for every client. Whether at the negotiating table or in the courtroom, we come prepared, stay in constant communication, and develop a clear legal strategy to achieve a successful outcome. When you trust us with your case, we honor that trust with action.
Time matters after a truck accident. Black box data, driver logs, and dispatch records can disappear in just days. Contact us to schedule a complimentary case review. We’ll preserve the evidence, identify every responsible party, and aggressively pursue the compensation you deserve.
