Car Accident Lawyer in Phoenix, AZ
If you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident — whether you’re a pedestrian, driver, or passenger — then Arizona law may give you a right to sue and obtain compensation for your various losses. There is significant diversity from case-to-case in terms of the fact patterns and how the dispute must be litigated.
In many cases, there are issues involving defects with the roadway itself (such as poor road visibility) that contributed substantially to the accident. These defects can be influenced by a number of factors.
Consider the following non-exhaustive list.
Grading and Sudden Elevation Changes
Sudden elevation changes can have an enormous effect on road visibility. When a crosswalk is placed at a plateau between sharply-graded roads, then rising traffic may have their visibility significantly impeded.
Elevation changes need not be sudden to have an impact, however. Even roads with a more gradual vertical grade can influence visibility — for example, if a road is graded upwards at a low degree, this could have an inhibiting effect on drivers at a distance, preventing them from easily identifying crossing pedestrians further down the road. With the assistance of a road safety expert, you can identify the potentially negative consequences of such elevation changes.
Adjacent Property Interference
Adjacent property can quite easily interfere with road visibility. For example, if a home built next to a road has an overgrown tree in the yard that extends out into the street, then the branches might cause problems for drivers and pedestrians. Under such circumstances, both the party responsible over the roadway (i.e., the City) and the party responsible over the adjacent property may both be held liable for failing to correct the defect.
Inadequate Lighting
Roads must be properly illuminated at night. Whether the illumination is “sufficient” is a fact-dependent question that will change based on the circumstances. Fundamentally, however, if there is inadequate lighting, or if the lighting is simply not working (perhaps due to poor maintenance), then this could give rise to an actionable claim for damages in the event of an accident.
Poorly Marked Crosswalks
Crosswalks must be made visible to incoming traffic. Failure to design, construct, and maintain a crosswalk that gives sufficient notice to drivers (of its existence) could expose the responsible parties to significant liability.
Consult an Experienced Attorney at Hirsch & Lyon
Here at Hirsch & Lyon, our team of attorneys boasts nearly seven decades of combined experience in litigating claims on behalf of injured plaintiffs, and more specifically, those who have suffered injuries in the motor vehicle accident context. We have helped numerous plaintiffs (including pedestrians) recover compensation that fully and adequately covers their losses.
Unlike many of our competitors, we are committed to client-focused service. We make ourselves throughout the litigation process to respond to any and all inquiries, and work tirelessly to ensure that our client’s goals, preferences, and concerns relating to litigation are integrated into the overall case strategy.
Ready to move forward with your claims? Call us at 602-535-1900 or contact us online to request a free and confidential consultation with a seasoned Phoenix car accident lawyer at Hirsch & Lyon.