Frequently Asked Questions

In your experience what are some of the causes of driver’s losing control cars and trucks on gravel roads in Iowa?

I’ve been asked this question before and after almost 30 years of practicing in this area of the law I’ve got a good idea of what needs to be on the list. After an accident that takes someone’s life we normally ask how it could have happened. Of course if all in the car are killed there may be no one to answer that question and we are left with speculation. A good investigation by the office, one that takes photographs of the road surface and shows tire tread marks and tire gully depth and direction can help us understand the situation a little better, but even then to a certain extent we have to use opinion rather than fact.

Here are a few reasons or causes I’ve seen.

Speed of the car.
Inattention of the driver to changing conditions.
Driver distractions that allow changing conditions to take control of the car's trajectory.
Alcohol impairing the driver's ability to maintain control.
Activity in the passenger compartment that causes the driver to give up control of the car's operation.
A malfunction in the car's steering or braking systems.
The presence of another vehicle.
A deer running across the road.
Cattle being in the roadway.
A dog or cat being in the roadway.
The driver's attempt to avoid something in the roadway.
A rut in the road.
The building up of gravel that makes a tunnel in the road's surface.
Improper grading of the gravel.

In thirty years of practicing law I've seen more than my share of reasons or causes. As drivers we are responsible for the safety of our passengers and it makes no difference if the driver dies in the accident.

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