Defective roads can often cause or contribute to auto accidents, resulting in injury or death. And because most roads are the responsibility of the government (city, county, state, or federal entities), lawsuits determining fault are different than those involving businesses or individuals. Different procedures, notification, and time limits are involved in accidents involving defective roadways.

Often, a defect in a roadway that causes an accident occurs only once before the road is taken care of. However, accidents that cause injury or death from a defect in the road may be an on-going problem. There may even be a record of accidents caused by the same problem. Those responsible are sometimes aware of the problem and fail or refuse to take action to correct it until they incur some kind of penalty for their negligence or wrongdoing in court.

Roadway defects include:

Potholes
Excessive oil and/or gravel
Failure to post signals or warning signs
Malfunctioning warning signs or signals
Insufficient or inadequate notification of shoulder changes
Shoulder drop-offs
Insufficient or inadequate notification of construction zones, hazardous weather conditions, or merging traffic

Some of these defects may be obvious to you immediately, but not necessarily visible for you to avoid an accident in time. If you believe your accident was the result of a defective roadway, it is important that evidence is gathered immediately before the error is corrected. Less obvious defects may only be revealed through conflicting statements by those involved in the accident and any witnesses.

One would assume that defective roadways with a documented history of causing accidents would be quickly repaired, however this is not always the case. Correcting defects can be costly and may also be interpreted as admission of fault. This means the responsible party or parties could be subject to lawsuits.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident caused by a defective roadway in the West Palm Beach, Florida area, please contact experienced personal injury lawyer Craig Goldenfarb to set up an initial consultation.