Many Ohioans rely on cars and trucks to get to work, home and the other important places in their lives. The Buckeye State would grind to a halt without the highways that connect Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus and the secondary roads that reach every part of the countryside.

Everyone in Ohio knows that the roads become hazardous and require extra time and attention during the harsh Midwestern winters. Snow can obscure vision, make road surfaces slippery and come down so fast that drifts can fill the signature trenches that line the sides of many state roads.

Counties in south-central Ohio, at the gateway to the Appalachian Mountains, can experience driving dangers during the frequent snow emergencies that local authorities must issue during snow storms and other events with solid winter accumulation. Ross and Pike Counties declared the season’s first snow emergency just before the new year to protect drivers and pedestrians.

A Ohio State Highway Patrol dispatcher in Ross County’s seat of Chillicothe reported a tractor-trailer jackknifed on U.S. Route 23 on the night of Dec. 29. The report said the truck slid on some ice and no injuries were initially reported in the accident. The vehicle was towed and the road was blocked for a short time. This, however, is an exception among semitruck accidents, which can cause severe damage, delays and injuries or deaths.

Victims of truck accidents in which drivers were at fault, even in winter conditions, have the right to seek financial damages from the drivers or companies that are liable for them. An attorney can help victims and their families assess their legal options after such a tragedy.

Source: Chillicothe Gazette, “Ross and Pike Counties remain under snow emergencies,” Michaela Sumner, Dec. 30, 2017