Dangerous Highways

Obtaining Financial Recovery in Pennsylvania after a Car Accident Caused by Dangerous Highway Conditions

Bringing a personal injury lawsuit against the state or a municipality

If you've been seriously injured in an auto accident, it's no consolation to know that car accidents account for more injuries and premature deaths  than any other cause. But knowing that many people have been injured at the same location or from the same type of roadway problem is a clear sign that the highway or street itself may be at fault.

Pennsylvania highways 36, 22, 30, 220, 322, and especially the Pennsylvania Turnpike, are challenging at the best of times. Hilly, curving, with long tunnels, and heavy truck traffic, add poor signage, road construction, or design problems and you have a downright dangerous highway.

·         Signage should give proper warning of upcoming construction or hazards without obstructing a driver's view of road conditions

·         Materials and equipment at construction sites should be placed where they do not obstruct views or present a hazard to drivers on the roadway

·         Barriers are called for in areas where two-way traffic is close enough that a car could wander or be pushed into oncoming traffic

If you believe that bad design and dangerous highway or street conditions were partly to blame for the accident that led to your loved one's injuries or death, contact personal injury attorney Joseph Nypaver.  I help injured people find financial recovery through personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.

Liability for Dangerous Highway Design

The state of Pennsylvania is responsible for designing safe highways and repairing or minimizing the harm of design defects. Driver's will make errors and will have lapses of attention. This is inevitable. Good engineers understand that drivers are human. They design roadways taking into account how people actually drive; they design to minimize the negative consequence of human error.

For example, there may be signs warning of the curve, but the life-threatening consequence of an automobile crashing into a ravine is why guard rails or concrete blocks are installed to ensure cars that miss the sign do not miss the curve.

A particular problem along Pennsylvania highways are berm drop offs. When a driver veers too far to the right or left and begins to leave the roadway, they will encounter a berm, a slight but significant bump downward. It is a natural reaction of a driver to be startled by this, and then to steer to get back onto the roadway. Unfortunately, some drivers over-steer and wind up in the opposing lane of traffic.

In cases where a dangerous highway contributed to serious or fatal car accidents or trucking accidents, one or both drivers may have had some fault, but unsafe roadway conditions may have been a determining or contributing factor. It's essential that this public safety hazard be exposed.

Free Case Evaluation - No Recovery / No Fee

Car accidents may be common, but they aren't inevitable. By holding public authorities accountable for roadway design defects that jeopardize lives, roadways can be made safer for everyone. Contact personal injury lawyer Joseph Nypaver.

Personal injury cases are always handled on a contingency fee basis. This means you will not be charged attorneys' fees unless I have recovered money damages for you. I offer free home, evening, and hospital visits.