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Dangerous Roads and Road Construction

Dangerous Roads and Road Construction 1There are dangerous roads and road construction in many places around the state. However, many times dangerous roads have posted warnings and road construction is carried out in a way that is safe for passing traffic. Municipalities also maintain their roads in most cases. However, it is when there are no posted warnings, road construction sites are unnecessarily hazardous, and roads are not maintained that innocent people become injured.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an auto accident due to a dangerous road or road construction, you may have a personal injury case against one or more parties. At Brotherly Law, we will review the details that you provide us to see if you have a case. If you do, we can proceed with seeking settlement from the responsible party or parties.

Auto Accidents Due to Dangerous Roads

There are roads of varying conditions around Pennsylvania. Some are in fantastic shape and others aren’t. For those that aren’t, it’s good to have posted warnings in place. If a warning is not in place, then a person could get into an accident because of a road condition they didn’t know about.

Another reason for signage on a road is when the road may be especially slippery when wet. Roads can also have signs for sharp curves, potential flooding areas, areas that ice over quickly in cold conditions, and where animals have a tendency to cross.

But this isn’t where it stops for dangerous roads because roads can have a defective design. Defective design includes:

  • Dangerous curves
  • Hazards that obstruct visibility at crosswalks and intersections
  • Pavement that is too slippery in any weather
  • Dangerous dips or slopes in the road
  • Improper drainage that leads to street flooding
  • Parking policies that make intersections unsafe due to limited visibility

Construction can also be defective due to failure to follow approved road plans, poor workmanship, and substandard materials. If a road isn’t maintained properly, such as not patching dangerous potholes, allowing erosion to lower the visibility of markers, and not replacing road signs, the municipality that maintains that road can be held liable.

Other issues include road collapse, changing use patterns, and ignoring that accidents tend to happen in the same places over and over again. By investigating the road where the accident happened, it can be evident what occurred and why, resulting in a solid case against all parties involved in the dangerous road conditions being allowed to persist.

Auto Accidents Due to Road Construction

In 2013, 48 percent of crashes in work zones resulted in serious injury or death. That translates into 1,845 crashes with 1,262 injuries and 16 fatalities. Of the sixteen people killed in these crashes, four of them were workers and most of these crashes happened on state highways with 269 of them happening on the turnpike.

Dangerous Roads and Road Construction 2These numbers are rather staggering, but the crashes weren’t necessarily the result of the construction zone itself. However, there are laws that drivers are to follow in construction zones and some people don’t follow them. For instance, the speed is reduced in construction zones. If a driver doesn’t reduce their speed, they may have difficulty driving in the narrow lane. It can be easy to lose control and hit a barrier or a barrel and crash.

Nonetheless, all it can take is a misplaced cone or sign and a driver could get into an accident. In this case, it is the fault of the transportation department if their workers are placing hazards in the roads. Poor lighting can also make driving through road construction dangerous. The zones have to be kept safe in order to keep drivers safe.

Machinery and debris can also create hazards. Workers are supposed to be following road construction safety laws, just as drivers are to follow construction zone laws or they could be heavily fined. Traffic cameras have been proposed in construction zones, which could be a way to slow down drivers and to ensure workers are keeping their environment safe.

Philadelphia Car Injury Attorneys Holding the Negligent Accountable for Your Injuries

There are many reasons behind car accidents. Unfortunately, dangerous roads and road construction are among those reasons. If road construction areas are hazardous or roads are not properly maintained, life altering accidents can occur. When this is the case, it is possible to hold the responsible accountable for their negligence by having them pay for damages. To learn more about how Brotherly Law can help you recover compensation, call 215-545-8500 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.

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If you have been injured due to no fault of your own, you may be able to hold the responsible party accountable for the monetary damages resulting from the accident. Fill out the form below to request a free consultation so we can evaluate your case.

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