A pileup on Interstate 80, which involved over 65 vehicles, left 2 people dead. It was not clear how many people were treated for injuries, but the accident involved 55 commercial vehicles, including many semitrucks. The rest of the vehicles were for personal use.
Not surprisingly, the accident clogged the Interstate and forced authorities to close multiple lanes. Police were blaming the road conditions, as much Pennsylvania was experiencing a significant snowstorm at the time of the accident.
Wintry weather is not an excuse for negligence
It will take authorities some time to sort through all the details of this tragic accident and determine which drivers may be responsible.
Still, drivers need to remember that they cannot rely on bad road conditions as an excuse for causing a motor vehicle accident.
If they choose to go out in snow or other bad weather, then drivers have an obligation to slow their speeds, pay careful attention to the road, maintain a safe following distance and to take other steps to reduce the chances of an accident.
In fact, Pennsylvania’s speed limit laws include a rule which requires drivers to adjust their speed to account for wet or snow-covered road or other weather, traffic and road conditions. This rule applies no matter what the posted speed limit is on the road.
Sometimes, drivers in the Scranton area may get just a little too confident when driving in wintry weather, and then end result is too often a tragic accident.
Motorists who drive carelessly in bad weather and cause an accident as a result may be held financially accountable for the damages they cause.