Accidents Caused by Items and Loose Debris on the Roadway

Ever drive on a road, look out the window, and ask yourself “how did that get on the road?” Maybe it’s a piece of wood, or rubber, or small furniture—anything. But that innocuous item can actually be dangerous-and even deadly. Road debris is a serious hazard, and you may be able to get compensation for your injuries if you are injured because of road debris.

How Debris Gets There

How does road debris even get on the road—it isn’t something that just naturally falls on the road, like a branch that could have been blown from a nearby tree.

Most often items end up on the roadways for two main reasons: Either something came off of a truck or vehicle that was hauling the item, or the debris is a piece of a car itself—say, a broken off fender, or a piece of rubber from a tire.

Unfortunately, human error is a big factor in road debris accidents. People routinely drive with pickup trucks that are overloaded, or with items poorly secured onto the roofs of cars. And when items do fall off, because they are in the middle of the road, the driver often does not stop to retrieve them—if the driver is even aware that anything has fallen off of the truck or car.

Road debris accidents are actually more common during normal rush hour times, such as between 10am-4pm, the exact time that many vehicles are hauling branches, cargo, furniture, lumber, or other items.

Vehicle Parts on the Road

Cars and especially larger commercial trucks, often drive on bald or bare tires; when the tires blow out, pieces of rubber can litter the road. These are actually called “road gators,” because of the tire tread’s similarity to the backs of an alligator.

Other items can become detached as well, such as pipes or pieces of metal that fall off cars, especially those that may have been in accidents themselves.

Why So Dangerous?

Any item, even a small one, on the roadway can be dangerous for a number of reasons.

Smaller items, when driven over by another car or especially a larger truck, can “shoot out” of the back of the truck after the tires run the item over. Items can shoot out with such force and speed, that they can go through another car’s windshield at deadly speeds.

The other hazard is the danger to cars that have to swerve to evade the debris. Tragically, In 2005, road debris killed Broward County’s first black circuit court judge Henry Latimer, when he swerved off the road to try to avoid debris on the road in front of him.

Injured by debris or items on the road? We can help you determine who may be liable for your injuries. Contact the Tampa personal injury lawyers at Barbas, Nunez, Sanders, Butler & Hovsepian and schedule a consultation today.

Sources:

sun-sentinel.com/2005/01/25/fiery-car-crash-kills-browards-first-black-circuit-court-judge/?clearUserState=true

news.aaa-calif.com/news/new-aaa-foundation-study:-200-000-crashes-caused-by-road-debris

usatoday.com/videos/news/have-you-seen/2023/03/27/car-flips-after-being-hit-loose-tire-los-angeles-freeway/11548807002/