Defective Roadway Auto Accidents
Sometimes the roadway contributes significantly to an accident by being poorly maintained, designed, or marked.
Traffic in Chicago is complex, with the number of people who must constantly operate on roads that are either in disrepair, currently under repair, or constantly under repair, traffic gets even more complicated. Poorly designed roads and intersections can further contribute to the confusion, frustration, and ultimately auto accidents that are common features of traffic in our city. Sometimes the roadway contributes significantly to an accident by being poorly maintained, designed, or marked. This may mean additional sources of compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses.
Common Types of Defective Roadways
There are many aspects of properly maintaining roadways, not the least of which is properly dividing up responsibilities among the multiple parties that may share responsibility for roadway hazards, such as:
- Debris, gravel, or oil spills
- Potholes
- Construction zones
- Blind intersections or curves
- Poorly timed or malfunctioning traffic signals
- Inadequate drainage
- Cracks, gaps, or changes in grade
- Shoulder dropoff
When these hazards are present, they may be due to the negligence or misconduct of municipalities, state governments, private contractors, and others. When these types of roadway hazards cause or worsen auto accidents, all the responsible parties should pay their fair share of the cost.
Chicago Single and Multi Car Accidents
Often, accidents caused by roadway hazards can be single-car accidents. For example, just hitting a deep pothole can cause damage to your car and may lead to personal injury, such as a neck injury. Other times gravel may cause you to lose control in a turn, sliding into guardrails or light poles.
Worse, defective roadways can send you out of control into another car, or force you to react in ways that increase your risk of an accident. In these cases, other drivers might be looking to you as the responsible party. They may be looking for compensation from you. To avoid having to pay for an accident that wasn’t your fault, you need the help of an attorney who can identify the parties truly responsible in your accident.
