The Ames Tribune recently featured an article regarding driver safety during the months leading up to harvest. With corn in excess of 10 feet in some parts of Iowa, rural intersections can become precarious due to obstructed vision from the corn.
With a driver’s ability to see other cars, some drivers adopt an “out of sight out of mind” mentality which can lead to speeding. The inability to see oncoming cars coupled with speed can prove to be a deadly cocktail.
Tall crops are not the only culprits when it comes to impeding a driver’s view. Wind-rows, single trees, silos, hedges, and the like have all been linked to crashes in which one or more of the involved driver’s vision is impaired.
There have been several relatively high profile fatal crashes in Iowa in the past month(s) in which obstructed vision and speed may have played a factor and the authorities continue to investigate.
From the legal aspect, the analysis of who is “at-fault” in one of these “obstructed view” cases begins with basic driving rules. That is, at an uncontrolled intersection, when both parties reach an intersection at the same time, the party on the right has the right-of-way and, thus, has the right to proceed first through the intersection.
However, the right-of-way is not absolute as it may be waived if the driver is speeding or committing some other illegal act.
The lawyers at Des Moines Injury Law.com have represented people injured in these “obstructed view” cases and are ready to answer your questions, protect your rights, and maximize your compensation.
Call today at 515-493-HURT or EMAIL for a free consultation.
