Fighting an Insurance Company in a whiplash Lawsuit Settlement
It’s July and Monsoon Season has officially begun. We’ve gotten rain earlier this year than we’ve seen it in the last several years, which is excellent, we need all of the moisture we can get, but it comes with its own dangers. With all of the new people moving to the valley this last year, there will be a lot of people dealing with our monsoons for the first time. Even if you’ve been here long enough to take it in stride, many of your fellow drivers and neighbors will not be used to or ready for and you will need to beware of them on the roads.
Monsoons are our most dangerous weather phenomenon and they can come on very quickly and violently any time, day or night for about a 4 month period of time, though most commonly in July and August. So in a few minutes, you can be driving home from work, with 123-degree heat outside and by the time you get on the freeway, everything changes. The wind starts gusting up to around 50mph, and a dust storm blows in from the desert, over a mile high and as far as the eye can see, making it almost impossible to see the cars in front of you. After the dust and sand blow past, the rain starts. Monsoon rain coms so hard and fast that again, it’s hard to see the cars in front of you… and then it begins to flood. Here are some things to look out for to protect yourself this summer.
Avoiding the Summer Heat
With temperatures in and around the Phoenix valley climbing from 100 degrees to the mid 120s, dehydration is a HUGE risk on a daily basis in the summer. Did you know that you can get dehydrated while swimming? Just because you’re surrounded by water doesn’t mean you’re staying hydrated. It won’t protect you from sunburns either, by the way. On a more serious note, for motorcycle riders, heat stroke and dehydration are a big problems for you in this heat. It is not uncommon for bikers to pass out while riding and there is some evidence that suggests that helmets increase the risk of heat stroke, which is why helmets are not required while driving a motorcycle in Arizona. If you are going to ride a motorcycle, dirtbike or quad on the roads or desert trails, please stay hydrated and stay safe.
High Monsoon Winds
The wind in a monsoon can gust up into the 50mph range, not only will this blow dust and rain, it has been known to tare awnings and even carports out of the ground and flip them onto the ground or the vehicles they were covering. About a year ago a bouncy house with a few kids on it was blown off the ground and about 10 feet into the air before falling back to the ground, one boy fell out and had a much harder landing than his friends. All by itself, the wind is strong enough to blow down 10-20ft tall trees, snapping palm trees or entirely uprooting mesquite trees. Beware the wind and make sure that you have an arborist out each summer to ensure that your trees are trimmed and staked to support if they need to be supported.
Haboobs (Desert Dust Storms)
The dust storms that sweep through the valley every year are literally a mile high and are fascinating… from a safe distance; if you’re in the middle of it it’s terrifying! I have driven on streets where a clear day suddenly turned brown without warning and I literally couldn’t see the street lights anymore and struggled to see the lights of the car right in front of me. A lot of people experience car accidents when the sand hits, and if you find yourself out and about, remember that the safest thing to do is slow down and increase your following distance from the cars in front of you. There’s no guarantee that you will avoid a collision, but you can increase your chances by driving defensively.
Monsoon Rains
The biggest problem you’ll face in a rainstorm is the roads. During the year, cars leak fluids that seep into the asphalt and stay there, just under the surface until it eventually starts to rain. The effect it has on the roads is different than rain in other states that get a lot of rain and snow throughout the year, oils don’t have a chance to build up there as they do here. If you’ve ever driven on black ice, that’s what it’s like. It takes about a half-hour of constant rainfall to wash the roads clean of the oils, but as fast as the rain travels, the oils are rarely washed away. I have seen a car traveling about 30mph hit his brakes and slide about 20ft before being able to come to a stop, nearly crashing into the vehicle in front of them. Even anti-lock brakes can’t save you from every situation. Remember that if it starts raining while you’re on an Arizona street or highway. Slow down, increase your following distance and drive defensively.
A lot of the cases we see during the summer months have the weather as a contributing factor. If you or a family member is injured in any of these situations this monsoon season, please call us to help you get the settlement you need to aid your full recovery.
