Car Accident Due To Bad Road Conditions? Who Should Be Liable
Posted on: 19 July 2017
Roads should be maintained no matter where you live, as it can become dangerous to drive if they are not. Weather can also make roads dangerous to drivers. If you are driving down a road that is in bad condition due to these and other reasons and you have an accident, you may be wondering who would be liable. The best thing to do is to call a car accident lawyer to help you determine this. Below is some information you should find helpful so you will know what to do if something like this happens to you.
Road Conditions That Can Cause Accidents
Contractors that build roads must also maintain the roads after they are built. This includes keeping the lines painted so they are clearly seen and checking them for damage, such as large potholes. They may not do this, however, which would put them partly at fault.
The engineer that designed the roads may also be at fault if the roads are in bad condition because they did not design them properly. For example, part of designing a road is to ensure the slope is correct. If it is not, water will stand on the roads, which would cause you to hydroplane. The engineer should also make sure there are no blind curves that make it difficult to see oncoming vehicles. They must also make sure the shoulder of the road is not too deep. If it is, guard rails should be installed.
Any of these things can cause you to get into a car accident. For example, if your wheel hits a pothole it will bounce and then you may have a hard time keeping control of your car
Who Should Be at Fault
You may be partly at fault for the accident, as it is up to you to look at the road conditions as you are driving so you will see things like potholes or standing water. If the road has problems, however, it is the responsibility of the companies that build and maintain the road to put a clear sign on the road to warn drivers of danger. The transportation department of your town may be responsible for posting warning signs.
The car accident attorney will check with the municipality to see if they have had any requests in the past to fix roads. If they have and they failed to make these changes, they could also be at fault.
The car accident attorney can give you much more information about this to help you understand.
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