Most crashes result from risky driving. Failing to yield, tailgating, and speeding cause tens of thousands of crashes in Texas annually. However, other factors, such as poor visibility or damaged roads, can also cause car accidents.
When road defects in Friendswood, TX, cause a traffic crash, you may have a legal claim against the company or government unit responsible for road design, repair, and maintenance. A Friendswood road defect accident lawyer from The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers can guide you through the process of pursuing an injury claim for road defect crashes.
Contact us today for a free consultation at (281) 992-8633.
How The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Road Defect Accident In Friendswood, TX
The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers has represented injured clients in Friendswood, Texas, for over 25 years. Our attorneys have more than 58 years of combined legal experience and have recovered over $500 million in personal injury settlements and verdicts.
After you suffer an injury due to the carelessness or deliberate behavior of another, we assist you in the following ways:
- Assess your circumstances and advise you about your options for seeking compensation
- File an insurance claim, including medical records and evidence proving liability
- Work diligently to resolve your claim with the insurer
- Pursue litigation against at-fault parties and insurers that refuse settlement
An injury claim after a road defect accident can present complicated legal and factual issues. Contact The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation with a Friendswood road defect accident attorney to learn about your options for suing after an accident caused by road defects in Texas.
Road Defect Accidents in Friendswood
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 94% of car crashes are caused by driving errors. By contrast, only about 2% of car accidents result from environmental factors, such as road defects, lighting, and weather. Thus, the odds of having a collision caused by a road defect are relatively low.
According to the city’s car accident statistics, Friendswood had 467 traffic crashes in a recent year. If the national rate of 2% is representative of Friendswood, roughly nine crashes resulted from road defects that year.
Types of Road Defects
Road defects can take many forms, including the following:
- Potholes
- Wheel ruts
- Faded lines
- Poor design, such as unbanked curves
- Lack of traffic controls, such as signals and signs
- Low areas where water collects
- Eroded or missing shoulders
- Inadequate lighting
- Speed limits set too high
- Missing or broken guardrails
Environmental issues can also include temporary road defects. The following hazards produce a temporary defect that can lead to a crash:
- Debris, such as sand or dirt
- Objects in the travel lanes, such as traffic cones or barriers
- Insufficient warnings near hazards or construction zones
These defects can cause crashes in a few ways. First, colliding with a hazard can cause a single-vehicle accident that injures you. Second, you can lose control of your vehicle after hitting a hazard or attempting to evade it. You might collide with another car or run off the road. Third, a hazard might affect another driver’s vehicle and cause them to crash into you.
Liability for Road Defect Accidents
The liability for a road defect accident depends on negligence. If a driver was negligent in negotiating a hazardous road, they might be liable for your injuries even though they might try to blame the road. For example, suppose that a driver is speeding on a gravel-covered road. When you brake, the driver skids and causes a rear-end accident by slamming into your car.
In this situation, the blame might fall on the driver if they saw or should have seen the gravel. In this situation, your testimony might support your case if you slowed when you saw the gravel and noticed other drivers slowing as well. The fact that the person who hit you failed to slow down like other drivers might constitute negligence.
In other situations, the liability might fall on the local or state government for its negligence. Normally, government entities are immune from lawsuits under a doctrine called “sovereign immunity.” However, Texas has waived immunity for state agencies and municipalities for lawsuits arising from negligence.
Specifically, Texas law allows injured road users to sue the government for negligence in any of the following areas:
- Street design and construction
- Warning signals
- Traffic regulation
- Engineering functions
- Maintenance of signs and traffic signals
- Hazard repair
However, the rules for suing the government may differ from the rules for suing private parties. Thus, you should consult a lawyer promptly after your accident to learn your options.
Contact Our Friendswood Road Defect Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Accident victims can pursue claims for road defect accidents that resulted from negligent design, repair, or maintenance. An experienced Friendswood road defect accident lawyer can help. Contact The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation to discuss your injuries and the compensation we can seek for them under Texas law.
