While sprawl, congestion, and aggressive driving get blamed for most Miami car accidents and the South Florida region, dangerous road conditions also contribute to a surprisingly high number of crashes in the area. If a poorly designed or improperly maintained roadway caused your crash, a government entity or private contractor might be to blame. A dangerous road condition accident and injury lawyer in Miami, FL, can help you fight for the compensation you deserve for your injuries, diminished vehicle value, and property damage.
At the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, our legal team covers the Miami area, protecting the rights of car accident victims. We help clients pursue the compensation they deserve after a car crash. We have dedicated attorneys and an extensive support staff, so we can give each client the time and attention their case deserves. If we take on your case, our team will conduct a full investigation into your accident, identify all responsible parties, gather evidence, and build a thorough, compelling case on your behalf.
Whether the responsible party is another driver, a vehicle manufacturer, or even a government entity, we fight for you and help you pursue the compensation you deserve.
To schedule a free case evaluation with one of our Miami personal injury lawyer team members, call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today at 1-800-747-3733.
How Do Dangerous Road Conditions Cause Car Accidents in Miami?
Many of Florida’s roads, including its interstate highways, are wide, well-lit, and properly maintained. However, the city has plenty of other roadways with problems, and some are capable of causing serious accidents.
The most common road conditions responsible for car accidents in Miami and South Florida include the following.
Poor Road Maintenance
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) reports that drivers travel over 200 million miles on Florida’s roads every year. All that driving causes lots of wear and tear on the roads, creating the need for constant maintenance to keep conditions safe.
Florida’s transportation budget, however, seems to be constantly stretched to its limits. Resultingly, maintenance does not always get done in time or at an adequate level.
Inadequate maintenance can manifest as erosion, uneven pavement, faded lane or shoulder markers, missing signage, broken or missing guardrails, and more. Any of these hazards is capable of leading to a catastrophic accident in the right conditions.
Potholes
Potholes occur when the ground beneath the road gives way. If a vehicle tire gets snagged in a pothole, it can cause the driver to lose control and crash.
Depending on the location of the pothole—whether it appears on a state highway or local roadway—FDOT or the local government has a responsibility to repair it right away. In the meantime, it must take steps to protect drivers from it, such as placing warning signs or rerouting traffic.
Inadequate Road Construction
Roads are not designed and paved haphazardly. Creating a safe roadway requires meticulous planning and studying of traffic patterns. Officials must use the right materials and design for the road to handle anticipated traffic volumes. When cities and states do an inadequate job constructing roads, accidents can result.
Dangerous Road Design
Poor design can lead to disaster even if a road is built properly. For instance, the following flaws in road design often lead to dangerous conditions, sometimes culminating in bad accidents:
- Inadequate lighting;
- Excessively sharp curves;
- Short on-ramps or merge lanes; or
- Lack of signage warning of dangerous conditions ahead.
Failure to Address Roads With Known Hazards
Part of the government’s job is to monitor road conditions and identify any problem areas constantly. If, for instance, a certain intersection has an unusually high rate of accidents, it often points to a problem with the safety of the intersection itself.
When a severe accident with injuries occurs at a known problem spot, we can often make the case that the entity in charge of the roads knew of the issues and did not address them. That could constitute negligence, which would make the government entity liable for damages.
How Are Dangerous Road Condition Accidents Different From Other Car Crashes?
From a legal perspective, the main thing differentiating these crashes from most motor vehicle accidents is that the responsible party is often a government entity.
Holding a government entity liable for damages has unique challenges, not the least of which is a provision in the law called sovereign immunity. This law protects the government from lawsuits by private citizens in most cases. That said, there are exceptions to the law. An attorney from the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can help you meet one of these exceptions and hold the responsible party liable, even if it is a government entity.
It is important to act quickly after your crash. Time limits apply to car accident lawsuits, including those filed due to dangerous road conditions. Florida has a statute of limitations that prevents you from filing a lawsuit if you wait longer than four years to act. If the at-fault party is your case is a government entity, you may have even less time. The clock starts ticking at the moment of the accident. By talking to a lawyer as soon as possible after the crash, you can avoid letting any deadlines slip by.
We Can Help You Fight for Compensation for Your Damages.
Our team fights for all of the damages you deserve. Your settlement could include some or all of the following:
- Compensation to cover your current and future medical bills;
- Payment for your lost wages from work;
- Money to buy a comparable replacement for your vehicle; and
- Additional compensation for your pain and suffering.
Call 1-800-747-3733 Today to Schedule a Free Case Evaluation With the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine.
At the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, we help Miami clients protect their rights and fight for the compensation they deserve for their car accident damages. If you suffered injuries in a crash due to dangerous road conditions, give us a call. We look forward to working for you. Call 1-800-747-3733 for your free case evaluation.
We Can Help.
