Virginia Beach Personal Injury Attorney Report – Snow Causes Hundreds of Crashes in Virginia

By Jim Hurley, Virginia Beach, VA Personal Injury Attorney

Snow caused nearly 1,000 truck and car accidents across Virginia in the early hours of Feb. 20, 2012, with many drivers apparently unprepared for wintery conditions.

State police responded to nearly 1,000 accidents across the Commonwealth, WBDJ7.com reported.

State troopers responded to 881 crashes and 456 calls for disabled vehicles. Almost 230 of the calls were to areas around Richmond, VA.

The situation was not as bad in Hampton Roads cities such as Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Hampton where the storm brought mainly freezing rain.

Police said a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) truck was in a wreck involving five other vehicles on I-95 North in Prince George County, VA. A helicopter took at least one seriously injured patient to a local hospital.

Several cars and trucks slid on black ice in Henrico County and went into ditches at the side of the highway.

As experienced Virginia Beach, VA personal injury attorneys, we are well aware that drivers in Virginia, which sees little snow, can be unprepared for wintery conditions.

Here are some tips for winter driving:

Don’t go out unless you can help it. And, if you need to get on the roads, wait until they have been treated.

 Drive more slowly and leave a larger distance than you would normally leave in front of you to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between your car and the vehicle in front of you.

Brake gently. Sudden braking can lead to skidding. If your wheels do start to lock up, take your foot slowly off the brake.

Keep your windscreen and lights clean

Turn your lights on to increase your visibility to other motorists.

Keep in a low gear, especially on hills.

Avoid using cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.

Overpasses, bridges and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first, are more dangerous. Avoid them where possible.

Don’t pass snow plows and sanding trucks. Their drivers often have limited visibility, and the road in front of them will be likely untreated and in a worse condition

Even in a state like Virginia that doesn’t see snow every winter it’s a wise idea to prepare your car for wintery conditions.

 DM

The Norfolk and Virginia Beach based personal injury law firm, Cooper Hurley, handles car, truck, and motorcycle injuries as well as brain injury, wrongful death, railroad workers’ injuries (FELA) mesothelioma and medical malpractice. John Cooper and Jim Hurley have over 40 years of combined experience in handling auto injury accident claims. Attorney John Cooper has been named to Virginia “Super Lawyers” since 2010 and has been a member since 2011 of the Multimillion dollar Advocates Roundtable. Cooper Hurley represents people hurt in accidents in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News and throughout VA, and always put the best interests of the our clients first. The firm is recognized by other lawyers as “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, a national attorney rating service, for our top level of legal skill and highest ethical standards. If you need help or advice about a serious injury, please call us (757) 455 -0077. For a free consultation with a specialized Hampton Roads, Virginia personal injury lawyer contact us through this website