States and counties have a legal responsibility to design and maintain roads in a safe condition. Unfortunately, we all know that many local roads are dangerous. We drive them every day.
Accidents are not always the fault of the drivers. Often, people take the policeman’s word that they or another driver made a mistake. Dangerous roads are traps for drivers and pedestrians that cause serious injury and death.
It is crucial that a lawyer handling a serious accident case consider the possibility that the accident was caused by an unsafe roadway. When we take a serious accident case we visit the scene and look at all of the information available to decide if there may be a claim for unsafe road design. Because we are local attorneys, we have experience and insight with the particular designs of many local notorious highways.
Matt Schad has handled and settled serious defective highway cases. He has also taken design cases to jury trial when those responsible denied accountability. Some examples include:
* Excessive road shoulder drop off.
* Too steep a drop between the road and the shoulder will take a bad accident pattern and make it much worse.
* Insufficient sight distance at highway overpasses. This defect makes it difficult for motorists to see stoplights with enough time to stop.
* Road potholes causing serious bicycle accidents.
* Improper stoplight sequence timing.
* Negligently designated passing lanes.
These cases are not easy. They involve complex engineering principles and complicated laws designed to protect the government from liability. Pursuing them successfully requires determination and skill. If you think that the design of a road contributed to a serious accident, call Matt Schad and talk to him about it.