Dangerous crosswalk may have contributed to accident
May 28, 2015On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, March 25, 2014.
For victims of motor vehicle accidents, it is important to determine who is responsible for the accident’s occurrence. Determining liability isn’t always easy, though. In some cases, multiple parties can be at fault, including the victim, and some at-fault parties may not be immediately obvious.
A car accident that occurred in Orange County last Wednesday may be an example of the latter type of situation. The accident occurred when a 14-year-oldl girl was struck by an SUV truck while she was in the middle of a crosswalk. The driver apparently wasn’t speeding at the time of the crash, but simply failed to see the girl in the middle of the road. Charges are reportedly pending against him, but there is another factor that could be at play in the accident.
That factor, according to residents and authorities, is a dangerous roadway that isn’t really designed well for the kind of traffic it supports, which includes a well-trafficked school bus route. Some of the problem, according to residents, may be that drivers take the roadway to avoid the other main route. Florida Highway Patrol is apparently going to be speaking with leaders at a nearby school to determine whether any other steps need to be taken to address any safety issues with the roadway and crosswalk.
Though it is hard to say in this case, it can happen where accident victims can recover from state and local agencies for failure to safely maintain roadways. To make such a case requires, of course, a showing of the appropriate evidence and this cannot always be done. In some cases such claims are well-supported, though.
Those who have been in an accident and don’t know who to hold accountable should speak to an experienced personal injury attorney to have their case evaluated.
Source: www.wftv.com, “FHP: Orange County teen who was hit by SIV used crosswalk,” March 20, 2014.
