Sometimes the way a road is designed is to be blamed for an auto accident. This means that the party responsible for the accident occurring is the government or the company that built the roadway. Inferior roads can lead to severe and even deadly accidents. If you or a loved one is injured due to poor road design there is a lot you can do to get compensation, some of the major actions you can take are listed below.
Get the Police Involved
Call the police immediately and report what has happened. Make sure you get a copy of the police report and do not be afraid to tell the police that you believe that your accident was caused by a fault in the road. You may be surprised to find that other police officers have taken reports of similar accidents in the very same spot and this will significantly help your claim.
Take Pictures and Get Contact Information from Witnesses
Use your phone to take pictures of the roadway from various angles and the damage that was done to your vehicle. Having this kind of photographic evidence is critical to winning a road design case. Even though the police will usually take the names and numbers of witnesses to the accident, you should be proactive and do the same.
Personally Interview Potential Witnesses
Road Design cases are easier to prove when they occur in residential communities or industrialized areas. This is because it is very likely that the accident you experienced due to poor road design may have happened to other people and that means that people who are often in that area may have witnessed a similar occurrence. You should go from door to door and try to collect information from those who reside or work in the area of the accident. If you are lucky these same people may have reported that there was a problem with the roadway to the local authorities and nothing was done to correct it.
Get Information about the Road's Construction
Fortunately information about the road's construction is a matter of public record and they will be accessible to you at the county records office. You can often find out the name of the company that was contracted to build the road and who funded the building of the road. This information is vital to you and your attorney as it will help to decide who you should sue for liability.
Accidents that occur due to faulty roads are some of the most preventable. If you or a loved one is injured, pursuing your case not only helps you, it also helps other motorists who use the same roadway. Make sure to talk to a lawyer from a firm like Fonvielle, Lewis, Foote & Messer if you think you have a case.
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