Road Design and Car Accidents: What You Should Know
Sometimes, driver error isn’t to blame in a car accident. The way a road is designed or maintained can be the cause. Federal, local, and state governments hire contractors who are required to construct a safe design.
These entities must construct and maintain the roads everyone travels on, and when they fail to do so properly, they may be held liable for resulting injuries and damages.
What Can Make a Road Design Dangerous?
The way a road is designed can be dangerous for motorists. There may be steep shoulder drop-offs or excessively sharp curves. The lanes may be too narrow or riddled with potholes and cracks in the pavement.
The way the lines are painted on the lanes may not be clear, especially when there has been recent construction. This can lead to confusion for drivers and cause a crash. On top of road design errors, there may be inadequate signage to warn drivers, obstructions that restrict the view ahead, malfunctioning traffic signals, or lack of lighting.
Many other factors could make a road design treacherous. If you get into an accident because of improper road design, you may wonder who is responsible.
Who Is Responsible for Crashes Caused by Road Hazards?
It can be complicated to determine liability in accidents caused by these types of roadway defects. Government entities may be responsible, however, they have protections in place for car accident claims. This is why working with a car accident lawyer is imperative because some specific rules and procedures need to be followed. There are also time limits that must be met to file your claim.
It's also possible that other parties are liable beyond the government agencies. These could be the engineers who designed these faulty roads, the contractors who provided inferior construction, or private companies that neglected to maintain the roads.
How to Prove Faulty Road Design, Construction, or Maintenance Was a Factor
If your car accident was caused by road defects, you will need to have evidence that proves it. Ideally, you should get this evidence while on the scene before it disappears.
The most helpful evidence will be anything that shows the defect in the road design. You will certainly want photos and videos of the aftermath as soon as you can take them. It may also help to have measurements taken when lack of proper signage is a factor. It can show that there wasn’t enough warning of a hazard ahead.
Other items that may be helpful are the blueprints for the roadway’s design, government records of maintenance schedules, orders for any complaints on these roads, and road construction plans.
With your injuries, you may be in too much pain to even know where to begin. When you work with an attorney, they will take over this burden and gather appropriate evidence to support your case. They will also be sure to do so within the imposed time limits to ensure they hold the liable parties accountable for your damages.