Car Accidents Potholes And Other Road Defects

March 17, 2015

Car accidents, potholes, and other road defects

The winter season left us with its share of defective roadways and potholes, but this spring seems to be much worse than recent years. Sure, there’s nothing worse than driving peacefully along the road, only to be jolted by a giant hole big enough to cause alignment damage and perhaps even worse. But we live in Western Pennsylvania where we know we must endure weather extremes and roads that are not properly stabilized, turning potholes in nightmares.

As the weather goes from freezing to warm and the rain comes in droves, the expanding and contracting roadways have left the entirety of Western PA in a pothole-avoiding tizzy, causing hundreds of thousands in property damage and even more in accident damage caused by pothole avoidance.

Some are saying that this year’s potholes are some of the deepest and worst they’ve ever seen, telling reporters they watched as entire front ends of vehicles have disappeared. Luckily, potholes themselves don’t cause many accidents, just property damage, but the accidents come as a result of people avoiding these giant holes. So, who is going to pay for the damages? Many residents of Pennsylvania feel that their tax dollars should go fix roads and help pay for the damages that are caused when people are hurt or their vehicles are damaged by road defects through no fault of their own.

PennDOT officials claim that water main breaks, extremes in weather conditions, and poorly maintained roads cause concrete to split apart and some vehicles to take on a great deal of damage. If you have suffered from an accident caused by a pothole, or if you have a great deal of damage done to your property because of potholes, there is a chance you can recoup benefits from state agencies that are otherwise responsible for our roads. If you have questions, please call Pittsburgh attorneys Goodrich & Geist, P.C. today for a free consultation at 800-806-2456.