Defective, Hazardous, Dangerous Roads or Highways Can Cause Truck Accidents

More than half of U.S. highway fatalities are related to dangerous, hazardous, or defective road conditions. A dangerous road is often the result of a poor design, construction, or maintenance. Consequently the investigation of the defective, hazardous, or dangerous road or highway site and its history requires substantial work, expense, and expertise on the part of an accident attorney and the specialists they use to determine the cause of the accident.

 

Dangerous, Defective, or Hazardous Road accident Cases are Especially Complex

Many of our highways are maintained by either state, county, or city governments. Drivers, whether they are truck drivers or passenger car drivers, have a right to expect that the responsible government agencies will take the necessary oversight steps to protect vehicle traffic from dangerous or hazardous highways and roads. Unfortunately dangerous, defective, or hazardous road accident cases are especially complex since often times the defendant is not another individual or insurance company, but instead a city, county or state government with the legal resources and funding to defend against the lawsuit.

According to a landmark study commissioned by the Transportation Construction Coalition, titled “On a Crash Course: The Dangers and Health Costs of Deficient Roadways,” it was found that hazardous roadways cause over 22,000 fatalities per year. This figure is greater than fatalities attributed to drunk driving, speeding, and nonuse of seatbelts.  The cost to the nation for these roadway-related accidents is a staggering $217 billion per year; more than three times the amount of money government at all levels invests annually on roadway capital improvements ($59 billion according to the Federal Highway Administration). But the cost to victims and their families is even more when you take into consideration their pain and suffering.

 

“On a Crash Course: The Dangers and Health Costs of Deficient Roadways" Report Analysis

The report also analyzed crash costs on a state-by-state basis and determined the following:

•    The 10 states with the highest total cost from crashes involving deficient road conditions are (alphabetically): Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.
•    Highest road-related crash costs per million vehicle miles of travel are: Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.
•    Highest road-related crash costs per mile of road are: California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and South Carolina.

According to the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), the research group responsible for the “On a Crash Course” study, there are several ways transportation officials can improve road conditions to save lives and reduce injuries:
•    replacing non-forgiving poles with breakaway poles
•    using brighter and more durable pavement markings
•    adding rumble strips to shoulders
•    mounting more guardrails or safety barriers
•    installing better signs with easier-to-read legends
•    adding or widening shoulders
•    improving roadway alignment
•    replacing or widening narrow bridges
•    reducing pavement edges and abrupt drop offs
•    clearing more space adjacent to roadways.

 

Hazardous Road Circumstances Under Which trucking Companies are Held Negligent and Liable

Despite the duty of governments and transportation officials to make our roadways safer, it should be noted that they are not the only ones responsible for safe travel. Everyone should drive safely. However trucking companies that send out huge, fully loaded trucks out onto the nations highways and roads need to be extra vigilant. They need to be held accountable for insuring their drivers are properly vetted and informed of any hazardous road conditions on the routes that they ply. There are times when trucking companies are held negligent and liable for their truck drivers even when road conditions play a factor in causing a truck accident. For instance,  information on road conditions is available 24 hours a day to trucking companies. If truck drivers prepare properly before they travel, they will have advance notice of where highway construction is taking place, what roads are allegedly dangerous, and where extra precautions should be taken. Truck drivers are licensed professionals and hold Commercial Drivers' Licenses (CDL). They are required to know their route ahead of time. Knowledgeable truck accident lawyers know how to find out the facts in a serious truck accidents and whether the truck owners or driver should be held liable when their negligence results in death or serious injury to another vehicle's occupants.

Make Sure All Responsible Parties are Held Accountable in a Truck Accident

The truck accident attorneys at Gordon, Elias & Seely, L.L.P are experts in the field of commercial and large rig truck accidents. We offer the  expertise as well as having the tools needed to reconstruct an accident and determine its cause. Our truck accident lawyers will make sure that all responsible parties are held accountable for the injuries or death suffered by you or your loved one. We will secure your rightful compensation.

To learn if the truck accident lawyers at Gordon, Elias & Seely, L.L.P can be of assistance to you, please contact a truck attorney at our law firm today. We will schedule a free initial consultation along with a case evaluation.

Call toll free: 1-800-773-6770 and speak with a highly experienced truck accident lawyer.

Since you pay no attorney fees unless we win your truck accident case,  it is to your advantage to seek our legal counsel.

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