You’re driving cautiously through a snowstorm on your way home from Green Bay, keeping a safe distance and staying under the speed limit. Suddenly, another car loses control on the icy road, slams into your vehicle, and changes your life in an instant. Wisconsin winters can be dangerous, but accidents like these happen all the time, because someone else wasn’t careful.
The team at Natasha Misra Law wants you to be as prepared as possible for any road conditions, and we’re here to fight for you if someone else wasn’t, and injured you in an accident. Let’s take a look at what winter conditions you could face, and how you can best try to stay safe out there in the snow.
Icy Roads: As temperatures drop, moisture on the roads can freeze into a slick, invisible layer of ice. Icy conditions are common across Wisconsin’s highways and residential streets, especially on bridges and overpasses.
Snowstorms and Reduced Visibility: Heavy snow can make it nearly impossible to see other vehicles, road signs, or obstacles. Rural areas like Oshkosh and Fond du Lac can be especially hazardous, with blowing snow creating whiteout conditions.
Black Ice: Black ice is a thin, transparent layer of ice that blends with the pavement, making it almost impossible to detect. It’s especially dangerous on shaded roads or during early morning hours.
Snow-Covered Roads: Packed snow can be as slippery as ice and often hides road markings, making it hard to judge where your lane ends or begins. This is a common issue in cities like Green Bay and Appleton after a heavy snowfall.
Unplowed or Poorly Maintained Roads: Snow and ice are bad enough, but when roads aren’t properly plowed or salted, the danger increases. Wisconsin’s smaller towns and rural highways often face delayed maintenance, making conditions worse.
Winter driving hazards are more than inconvenient—they’re dangerous. Snow, ice, and low visibility significantly increase the likelihood of crashes, and when another driver isn’t as cautious as you are, the consequences can be devastating. Rear-end collisions, multi-car pileups, and sliding accidents happen more often during winter, leading to serious injuries like whiplash, broken bones, and head trauma. If you’ve been hurt because someone else wasn’t careful on Wisconsin’s winter roads, you deserve justice.
If you’ve been injured in a winter driving accident in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Appleton, or anywhere in northern WI—don’t wait to get experienced legal advocacy. Contact Natasha Misra Law today for a free consultation.
Stay safe this winter, and remember: when you need someone to fight for you, Natasha Misra Law is more than just another suit. We’re advocates for your health, safety, and your future.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, most vehicles depreciate twenty-percent within the first year. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, auto insurance will likely cover the value of the vehicle at the time of the accident. But, what if the value is less than what you still owe on your auto loan?
Gap insurance covers what your standard auto policy does not. Rather than being left to make loan payments on a vehicle you cannot drive, gap insurance makes sure your auto loan is paid off.
So, what exactly is gap insurance, and do you need it? Here we explain how standard insurance policies handle totaled vehicles and how gap insurance works.
Yes, auto insurance will cover your totaled car, but coverage is based on the current value of the vehicle, not the remaining balance on your auto loan which includes interest. Generally, auto insurance providers total a vehicle if the cost of repairs exceeds the actual cash value of the vehicle. If you have an outstanding auto loan on the vehicle, the insurance reimbursement will go directly to your loan provider who is the lienholder of the vehicle.
Because cars depreciate over time, it is not uncommon for this to happen. Auto insurance will make a payment to the lender for the depreciated value of the vehicle. If this is less than the outstanding balance on the loan, you will be responsible for continuing payments out-of-pocket until the loan has been paid in full, unless you have gap insurance.
If your car is stolen or totaled in an accident and you owe more than the car’s value at the time of the loss, gap insurance covers the difference between the value of the car and the remaining balance on the auto loan. Gap insurance is intended to protect you from having to make payments on a car you can no longer use. Many dealerships offer gap insurance, but it is also available as an add-on through many insurance providers.
For example, gap insurance from Toyota Financial Services (TFS) will either waive or pay the deficiency balance, or the difference between what is owed on the vehicle and what the insurance company will pay if the vehicle is declared a total loss. So, if you owe $23,000 on your vehicle and receive $20,000 from the auto insurance company, you would be responsible for $3,000 out-of-pocket. However, gap coverage from TFS would cover this $3,000 balance.
Yes, a car accident attorney will make sure your gap insurance is appropriately applied to resolve any remaining balance on your auto loan. Save yourself the headache of the back-and-forth with your loan provider and insurance company and contact Milwaukee personal injury attorney Natasha Misra Law today.
My law practice is dedicated to helping people who have suffered injuries in accidents which were not their fault. Born and raised in Milwaukee, I come from a family of medical professionals. My background and experience help me understand and represent individuals injured in accidents.