One driver’s negligence can cause an accident that involves 2 or more vehicles. On the other hand, a single car might get damaged in an accident that was caused by a road hazard.
Types of road hazards
• Animals crossing the roadway.
• Roads with a rough surface
• Gravel that covers a part of the road’s surface
• Bumpy edges
• Joints with an uneven extension
• Slick covering on road’s surface
• Standing water
• Strewn debris
• Icy patches
• Objects that fell onto the roadway
Who is responsible for accidents that were caused by a road hazard?
• Frequently, no single person can be held responsible.
• Sometimes a person or a business/organization can be identified.
• Authorities that might be blamed:
• Construction company, if members of crew allowed some object to fall onto the road’s surface.
• Government, if it has failed to supervise a construction crew, or if it has not hired an engineer that knows how to create a safe roadway.
• A driver, if he or she has failed to tie-down an object that is being carried in a motored vehicle.
• A public utility company,
• Landscapers, if they have been asked to landscape an area of land on the edge of a street or highway.
Additional factors to consider
Drivers ought to enjoy a clear view of any roadside sign. By the same token, that signage ought to feature clear numbers and letters. If someone has defaced a one or more signs, then that could increase the chances for an accident, along the stretch with the defaced sign.
A driver’s behavior can increase or decrease the chances that an on-road incident might take place. Local drivers might have learned to reduce their speed, when traveling over a certain stretch of roadway. Yet, drivers from outside of the local area would not have acquired that level of insight.
The Personal Injury Lawyer in Cambridge knows about dangers associated with any hazard increase, if someone has chosen to hit the accelerator just before arriving at that dangerous stretch of roadway. When a combination of factors has caused an accident, then that fact must be considered, during an effort to point to the person that should be held liable.
If an injured driver has sued any of the authorities that were in charge of monitoring a given road’s safety, then a jury could be asked to determine who should be held liable. Working with a judge, the jury would determine what percentage of the accident was caused by the driver’s actions, and what percent had demonstrated the effect of some defect in the constructed street or highway.
Ultimately, the percent associated with the driver’s actions would represent the portion of the compensation that could be held-back, due to the evidence of the driver’s contributory negligence.
