Car Accidents Caused by Missing or Damaged Road Signs (What You Need to Know)
While many car accidents are caused by negligent drivers who fail to notice or who disregard road signs, some crashes happen because critical road signs are missing or damaged. Motorists may be more likely to get into an accident when they are not provided with the information needed to safely navigate a road.
How do missing or damaged road signs and other road defects cause car accidents, and what can the victims of such accidents do to recover compensation for their injuries and losses?
How Can Missing or Damaged Road Signs Cause Car Accidents?
Missing or damaged road signs can lead to car accidents as drivers are not informed of the rules of a particular stretch of road or warned of potential hazards on the road. A road sign may have been knocked down in a collision with another vehicle or by severe weather conditions. Weather can also damage road signs, making them hard to read for passing motorists. Or signs may end up obscured by trees or shrubbery or by snow or ice.
When road signs are damaged or missing, drivers may not be informed about safety restrictions for a stretch of road or intersection (such as a no-turn-on-red sign). Drivers might not be advised about lower speed limits on certain sections of a highway. And the lack of readable signs may mean that motorists don’t know about other dangers or hazards, such as uneven pavement, narrowing lanes, or sharp curves ahead.
Other Ways Defective Road Designs Cause Accidents
Defective road designs or maintenance can also cause car accidents in other ways. For example, some roads may be designed with steep drops from the crest of hills, or curves with too severe of an incline. Roads and intersections might also be designed in such a way that drivers may have their vision blocked under certain circumstances. Of course, inadequate road maintenance can also cause crashes, such as when sand or debris are spilled by road construction crews, or when snow and ice are not treated and cleared.
Can You Recover Compensation for a Car Crash Caused by Missing or Damaged Road Signs?
By law, state and local governments may have certain legal immunities or limitations on liability for injuries suffered by citizens allegedly due to the government’s negligent construction and maintenance of a roadway. However, liability might be imposed in cases where state or local government agencies responsible for roadways were informed about dangerous conditions, such as unsafe design, hazardous road surface conditions, or damaged or missing road signs, and the public agencies failed to correct those conditions in a reasonable amount.
A negligence claim may allow a car accident victim to recover compensation for expenses and losses such as:
- Medical and rehabilitation expenses
- Costs of long-term care for permanent disabilities
- Ongoing and future loss of wages/income and employment benefits
- Physical pain and emotional suffering
- Loss of quality of life because of disabilities, extensive scarring or disfigurement, or a reduction in life expectancy caused by car accident injuries
Contact a Scotch Plains Personal Injury Lawyer to Discuss Your Car Accident Case in New Jersey
Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries due to a car accident in New Jersey? Don’t let the medical bills pile up while you wait for the negligent party or their insurance company to do the right thing. Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side, fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled attorneys at Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold & Mangan, LLC represent clients injured because of car accidents in Edison, Woodbridge, Old Bridge, Piscataway, and throughout New Jersey. Call (908) 325-5571 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a free consultation about your case. We have an office conveniently located at 1827 E. 2nd St., Scotch Plains, NJ 07076, as well as offices in Westfield, Newark, East Brunswick, Clifton, Cherry Hill, and Elizabeth.
The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.