Drive on America’s highways long enough, and you’re bound to see a few “road gators,” scraps of tire blowouts left behind by semi-trucks. What you might not realize is that road gators are not only a safety hazard but can cause serious crashes. Here’s what you should know next time you encounter one.
A Surprising Hazard
Road gators are dangerous. The average scrap of truck tire is over 8ft long and can weigh as much as 100 pounds. That, combined with protruding bits of reinforced metal belts, can be a big problem for average-sized vehicles.
Hitting a road gator can cause a flat tire (potentially causing you to lose control and spin out), or it can damage your undercarriage, leading to maintenance issues down the road.
That said, avoiding this road debris can be just as dangerous. If you try to swerve out of your lane to avoid a road gator, you could inadvertently cause a crash. According to a study by AAA, nearly 40% of road-debris-related crashes were caused by a driver swerving to avoid the hazard.
Pursuing Damages
Truck tires typically don’t have identifying marks on them, making it almost impossible to tell where the tire came from unless you saw the blowout. Often, that means drivers who hit a piece of road debris, suffer injuries and don’t know the identity of the person or company who caused the crash.
Whether or not you know the name or identity of the driver or the trucking company at fault, when you make a claim for a crash caused by road debris, the insurance company might argue that the crash was preventable and may put up a fight to avoid paying the damages to which you are entitled.
Therefore, it is wise to hire a personal injury attorney with experience handling similar cases. An attorney can negotiate on your behalf and help you earn the full compensation you need to recover from your injuries.
If you’d like to discuss a car crash with an experienced personal injury attorney, don’t hesitate to call upon Maring Williams Law Office. Our firm serves injured parties across North Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana. Send us an email or call us today at (701) 402-6644 for a free consultation.