Dangerous Road Design Lawyers In California | GJEL Attorneys

Throughout California freeways, highways and roads are being built and expanded to allow for the increasing amount of drivers that travel them. Many of the roads in California are in disrepair or under construction. Road construction and hazardous roadways pose an enormous threat to drivers and passengers. Unanticipated debris in the road and other construction related hazards increase the risk of auto accidents. You may not realize that after a crash, the road itself—not another driver—can be a major cause of the accident. Dangerous road design, missing safety features, or unsafe construction conditions can make a collision unavoidable even when you are driving responsibly.

It is the responsibility of the California Department of Transportation to maintain all roads and freeways within the state of California, therefore providing automobile drivers, bicyclists, truckers, and motorcyclists with safe roads on which to travel. As a Californian, you have the right to operate your vehicle on roads which are free from preventable hazards. Even if you were driving carefully and following traffic laws, you can still have a valid claim when dangerous road design or poor maintenance contributed to your injuries. Poorly designed and maintained roads result in thousands of traffic accidents in the U.S. each year. In many cases, the government agency responsible for the roadway already knew—or should have known—that the road was unsafe and failed to correct the danger or warn drivers, which can establish legal responsibility for your injuries. Listed below are some examples of hazardous roadways:

Bad road design, in which the lanes are not wide enough or have extensive wear.

• Broken pavement
• Construction zones, in particular those which lack visible warning signs
• Loose gravel
• Rate of incline
• Poor lighting
• Potholes
• Unsafe guardrails

Dangerous road conditions like these commonly lead to rollover accidents, run-off-road crashes, loss-of-control accidents, head-on collisions, and pedestrian or bicycle injuries when you have little or no time to react.

Highways and roads should be properly maintained and safely constructed in order to keep drivers and their occupants safe while traveling on them. In addition, warning signs must be posted at all road and highway construction sites to inform drivers that road work is being done and that they must be use extreme caution. Proving a dangerous road design case often requires evidence beyond a police report, including roadway measurements, design plans, maintenance records, photographs, and expert analysis to show how the road itself caused or contributed to your accident.

If you or a loved one have been injured due to unsafe or hazardous roadway conditions, we invite you to call GJEL 1-855-508-9565 to speak with an experienced dangerous road attorney at Gillin, Jacobson, Ellis, Larsen & Lucey today to discuss your legal options. Dangerous road design claims are often brought against city, county, or state agencies, and these claims must usually be filed within much shorter deadlines than standard personal injury cases, meaning waiting too long can permanently bar your right to compensation. We provide free consultations, and we’re paid only when we win your claim. If a dangerous road condition and another driver both contributed to your accident, you may be able to pursue claims against multiple parties rather than being limited to only one source of recovery.

You’ll pay no fees if we don’t obtain a verdict or settlement for you. Holding government agencies accountable for dangerous road conditions can also lead to safety improvements such as redesigned intersections, improved warnings, and corrected road geometry, helping prevent others from being injured the same way you were.

Written by GJEL Accident Attorneys, reviewed by Andrew (Andy) R. Gillin.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Andrew (Andy) R. Gillin is a founding partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has practiced personal injury law in California state and federal courts since 1970. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School and co-founded GJEL in 1972. Over the course of his career, Andy has helped hundreds of injured plaintiffs recover compensation, including multiple seven-figure settlements and verdicts. He specializes in serious injury and wrongful death cases and holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, with recognition from Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.