You may already know that if you sustain an injury in a Pennsylvania car accident caused by another driver’s negligence, you have the right to seek damages from the other driver. However, what happens if it was not another driver that caused the accident but the road itself? We at the law firm of Lieberman, Tamulonis & Hobbs have seen cases like these before. You may still have legal recourse if a dangerous road was the cause of your accident.
When an unsafe condition poses a threat of injury on private property, the owner of the property has an obligation to make repairs. Similarly, when road hazards cause or contribute to motor vehicle accidents, the public entities responsible for maintenance and construction have an obligation to correct the issue. Failure to do so could make the responsible government authorities legally liable for injuries that result from a foreseeable and unreasonable risk of harm on the road.
Sometimes a road becomes dangerous over time because the government fails in maintenance tasks, such as repairing potholes, or in installing safety measures, such as warning signs or guardrails. Other times, a road is dangerous from the beginning, due to poor design that limits visibility or areas of construction that are unsafe.
If you encounter hazards such as these, they may catch you off guard regardless of how careful and experienced a driver you may be. The accidents that can result from dangerous roads can result in wrongful death and/or serious injuries.
Before pursuing a lawsuit related to a motor vehicle accident, it is important to determine, to the extent possible, who or what caused it. More information is available on our website.