Potholes can be extremely damaging to vehicles. They are hard on tires, the suspension, and steering systems. If you strike a pothole while traveling at a high rate of speed, it might cause a tire blowout or even a car accident.
Potholes also can be extremely dangerous for motorists. A large pothole could cause you to lose control of your vehicle. The impact of hitting a deep pothole is similar to that of a collision at 35 miles per hour. That kind of force and energy could produce significant damage that makes your car unsafe to drive.
How Damaged Tires Might Cause an Accident?
A pothole is a road hazard that could cause an immediate tire blowout if you hit it hard enough or on the right spot on a tire. Tread separation is another possible danger due to damage from a pothole. Tread separation occurs when one or more layers of the steel belts in a tire start to separate from one another. A tread separation could cause a sudden tire failure, including a blowout. It also will compromise the tire’s ability to maintain traction and could cause you to lose control of your vehicle.
How a Damaged Suspension Might Cause an Accident?
A pothole tests the durability of your vehicle’s suspension. A sudden jolt from a deep pothole could cause a strut or shock to fail, or it could break one or more springs. When your suspension is weakened or damaged, it is harder for your vehicle to maintain its balance on the road.
A damaged suspension also can affect handling. It can become harder to steer and maintain your travel lane. If you drift out of your lane, you might cause an accident.
What Causes Potholes?
Potholes are especially bad in areas that get a lot of wet wintry weather. Pennsylvania roads undergo a lot of freeze and thaw cycles that are the primary cause of potholes. Rainwater and snowmelt can seep into tiny cracks in the pavement and asphalt. When the temperature drops to below freezing, that water turns into ice and expands.
Continual freezing and thawing act like a wedge that eventually separates sections of the roadway. If heavy trucks travel over the road, they will accelerate the damage caused by the freezing and thawing cycles. Some potholes also might occur due to shifting soil or erosion of the ground underneath. When heavy vehicles travel over weakened spots, they can create potholes.
Delco Car Accident Lawyers at Eckell Sparks Can Help You After a Severe Pothole Accident
One of our experienced Delco car accident lawyers at Eckell, Sparks, Levy, Auerbach, Monte, Sloane, Matthews & Auslander, P.C. can help you explore your legal options if you have been injured in a pothole accident. Call us at 610-565-3701 or contact us online to schedule an initial consultation. Located in Media and West Chester, Pennsylvania, we represent clients in Delaware County, Chester County, and Montgomery County.