It does not matter what time of the day it is: an auto accident is never a welcomed scenario. However, when the accident occurs at night, sometimes there are complexities involved that do not necessarily exist with a daytime accident. If you were involved in an accident after dark, it is helpful to learn about some of these intricacies.
Causation and Liability
Liability and causation are factors for any accident, but for accidents after dark, there are some additional elements to consider. For example, drivers are more likely to be tired or drowsy during late-night hours. In the event, a driver crashes into another driver, and it is discovered that they fell asleep at the wheel, the injured victim may be entitled to additional compensation.
This factor is especially the case if the accident involved a commercial driver who was forced to work beyond their normal shift time, as their drowsiness behind the wheel could also be considered the fault of the company they work for.
Witness Availability
One factor that can sometimes make it harder to investigate nighttime accidents is the fact that there are often fewer people on the road and visibility on the road is much more limited. As a result, there might not be many people around that can give a witness statement about what happened.
While witness statements do not make or break a case, they can strengthen it. For this reason, it is especially helpful to have an attorney working your case, as he or she will be able to thoroughly investigate the accident circumstances to help determine who is at fault.
Driver Responsibility
Another factor to think about during the darker hours of the day is that drivers cannot see as well, especially drivers who already have vision concerns. Similar to drowsiness, if the driver who hit the other vehicle had difficulty seeing and had a prescription for a corrective device such as glasses, but did not have them on, they could face additional liability.
Given that cases involving additional liability or gross negligence can often result in more extensive property damage or physical injury, this added liability is often important to ensure the victim receives all the compensation they are entitled to.
As you can see, there are some dynamics about nighttime accidents that are different from daytime accidents. To be sure that you are protected and that your claim is handled properly, consider partnering with an auto accidents lawyer.
