Black Ice Risk – Severe Injuries During Winter
Black ice risk increases during the winter months. The 2025 – 2026 winter season was forecasted to be a very cold one with snow and ice reaching further south than normal. For a free 60 weather outlook, check out this page.
Some regions will experience colder temps than usual – like here at our HQ city, Raleigh. With this week’s inclement weather, the first accident I saw due to black ice occurred near my home. The accident reminded me to write an article on what can be huge claims due to black ice risk.
Let us define the term first –
Black ice risk comes from what can be a hidden danger that one may not see in time. A great description of black ice –
sometimes called clear ice, is a coating of glaze ice on a surface, for example on streets or on lakes. The ice itself is not black, but visually transparent, allowing the often black road below to be seen through it and light to be transmitted. The typically low levels of noticeable ice pellets, snow, or sleet surrounding black ice means that areas of the ice are often next to invisible to drivers, cyclists or people walking on it. Thus, there is a risk of slippage and subsequent accident due to the unexpected loss of traction.
I borrowed the definition from Wikipedia, but one area where I disagree with it would be the accompanying picture. See the end of this article for the pic. You can see ripples which give the ice’s presence away – to me, that is not black ice.
Let us cover the workers comp black ice risks that I have come across over the last 40 years of consulting on and adjusting claims nationwide.
- Truck drivers – some of the worst leg injuries I have ever seen come from truckers stepping down on a parking lot and wham! -They are being transported in an ambulance. Two permanent total ratings have been established by truckers who thought there was no ice in the parking area.
- Delivery drivers – same as truck drivers, but exposed to many different conditions, such as driveways, sidewalks, etc. Even in normally warm NC, a delivery driver’s van near my home is stuck in the trees approximately 20 yards off the road.
- Employees who work outside – one small patch of black ice can cause havoc with outside workers.
- Going to/Coming from work – many times, these types of WC claims are generally not covered because of employee ingress/egress rules.
Risks In Northern States
Yes, I know that the Northern States, especially the Northern Plains States, are used to dealing with black ice risk. However, the two truck drivers mentioned previously were injured in Alabama and Mississippi.
Black ice risk can even appear in Florida. I have adjusted slips and falls on black ice in the Florida panhandle. Please do not think that the risk is only for states that are known for snow and ice.
