Roadway guardrails are supposed to prevent accidents or mitigate their severities. However, guardrail failures can cause or aggravate accidents. Guardrail accident claims are different from collision accident claims because you are not going against another driver.
Guardrail accidents can have serious consequences like severe head injuries especially the highway guardrail accidents and truck guardrail accidents. Understanding the causes behind these accidents, how to prevent them, and the legal aspects involved is essential for your safety and well-being.
Causes Behind Guardrail Accidents
Guardrail accidents can happen for various reasons, ranging from driver behavior to design flaws in the guardrails themselves. Some common causes include:
- Distracted Driving: When drivers are not fully focused on the road, they might lose control of their vehicles and crash into guardrails.
- Speeding: Driving at excessive speeds reduces the driver’s ability to react in time, making it more likely for them to collide with guardrails.
- Weather Conditions: Slippery roads due to rain, snow, or ice can lead to vehicles skidding and crashing into guardrails.
- Design Flaws: Some guardrails may have design flaws that make them more hazardous upon impact, increasing the severity of accidents.
- Defective installation: Fatalities can also be caused when a guardrail is not installed properly and a defective guardrail is installed. Some construction companies and road crews may take shortcuts when it comes to installing guardrails or they may simply not install them properly out of lack of knowledge.
Preventing Guardrail Accidents: Safety Tips
Guardrail accidents can often be prevented with safe driving practices and proper road awareness. Here are some safety tips to consider:
- Stay Alert: Avoid distractions while driving, such as using your phone or eating, to ensure you have full control of your vehicle.
- Obey Speed Limits: Stick to posted speed limits to maintain control over your vehicle and have enough time to react to unexpected situations.
- Adjust to Weather Conditions: Slow down and drive cautiously in adverse weather conditions to reduce the risk of skidding or losing control.
- Maintain Safe Following Distance: Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you to allow for ample braking time if needed.
- Inspect Your Vehicle: Regularly check your vehicle’s brakes, tires, and steering to ensure they’re in proper working condition.
Legal Implications and Compensation
If you’re involved in a guardrail accident, you might have legal options for seeking compensation, especially if the accident was caused by a defective guardrail or other factors beyond your control. Some important aspects to consider include:
- Product Liability: If a guardrail manufacturer’s negligence or design flaws contributed to the accident, you might have a product liability case against them.
- Wrongful Death Cases: If a guardrail accident leads to the wrongful death of a loved one, you may have grounds for a wrongful death claim to seek compensation for your loss.
- Motor Vehicle Accident Cases: Guardrail accidents fall under the broader category of motor vehicle accidents, and you could be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, vehicle damage, and pain and suffering.
Need Legal Help? Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer
When it comes to complicated situations involving guardrail accidents, you need experienced lawyers who know about personal injury cases. If you or someone you care about got hurt in a guardrail accident, it’s really important to talk to a lawyer as soon as possible. A skilled personal injury lawyer in Philadelphia can look at what happened, figure out who’s responsible, and help you get the right amount of money you should.
These lawyers know a lot about how the law works. They can help you with everything, from collecting proof to talking to the insurance companies or even going to court if needed. They’re really good at handling different accident cases, even ones where the guardrails were faulty. Their goal is to make sure you get the money you deserve for what you’ve been through.
To wrap things up, understanding why guardrail accidents happen, being safe, and knowing what you can do legally are all super important. If you ever end up in a guardrail accident, especially if it’s not your fault, getting legal help can really make a big difference. It can help you get the money you need to cover your injuries and losses. Remember, staying safe and standing up for your car accident rights is really important.