Texas Accident & Injury News
Single-vehicle rollovers are one of the deadliest kinds of accidents.
Woman Killed After Being Ejected in Single-Vehicle Rollover Accident
According to a KSAT News report, a woman was killed in an early-morning rollover accident last week.
Police reported the accident happened at around 5 a.m. on November 4th, on I-10 near Ralph Fair Road near Beorne. A 42-year-old woman was traveling northbound when she struck a barrier. The impact caused her vehicle to flip, and she was ejected during the crash. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and the Interstate was shut down for over 3 hours and crews investigated. There were no other vehicles involved, and no other injuries were reported.
Did You Know?
In 2023, there were 53,016 accidents statewide on dark, unlit roads.
Poor Lighting Caused My Car Accident — Can I Sue?
Dark road conditions can be a serious hazard to drivers.
When the city fails to fix street lights or construction causes street lights to be temporarily down, drivers can suffer serious accidents. If poor conditions cause an accident, the city or state government or a construction company may be to blame. If a negligent government agency or construction company caused your accident, you may have grounds to file a personal injury claim against the responsible party.
Hazards Caused by Poor Street Lighting
Poor lighting can cause many dangerous situations for drivers, including:
- Inability to see pedestrians in poorly lit crosswalks,
- Difficulty spotting approaching vehicles at intersections,
- Difficulty reading road signs,
- Inability to spot objects/debris in the roadway,
- And difficulty seeing broken-down vehicles on the shoulder.
Poorly lit roads also necessitate using high beams, which can blind other drivers or pedestrians, creating an additional hazard.
When Can You Sue for Poorly Lit Roads?
City and State governments have a responsibility to maintain safe roads. When they breach this duty (are negligent), and this breach of duty causes your accident, which results in injury and/or property damage, you may have grounds to file a claim.
Some examples of negligence when it comes to poor lighting include things like:
- Not providing adequate lighting in high-risk areas,
- Placing or designing lights in such a way that they don’t provide enough light or blind drivers,
- Failing to properly maintain lighting,
- Failing to fix broken, burnt-out, or faulty lights.
Construction companies can also bear similar liability if they damage a street light and an accident results. While construction companies are working on behalf of the government, they are usually private entities and must be directly sued for the accident they caused.
Similar to suing a government agency, you can only sue a construction company if they were negligent (i.e., damaging a street light), that negligence caused your accident, and you were injured and/or suffered property damage as a result.
How Long Do I Have to File a Claim?
When suing a government agency, you typically only have 6 months from the date of the incident to file a claim. Additionally, strict procedures must be followed when filing the claim, or it will be easily dismissed.
When suing a private construction company, you typically have 2 years from the time of the accident to file a claim.
As a general rule, you should talk to an attorney as quickly as possible after an accident that wasn’t your fault, especially if you were injured. The quicker you file a claim, the better, as evidence is quickly lost, and memory becomes less reliable as time goes on.
Injured in an Accident Caused by Poor Lighting in San Antonio? Call Shaw.
If you were injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to compensation for things like:
- Ambulance Costs,
- ER Treatment,
- Medical Bills,
- Pain and Suffering,
- Trauma/PTSD,
- Missed Work,
- Loss of Earning Capacity,
- Wrongful Death,
- And More.
We’ll help you find out if you have a case for free.
Call Shaw at 800-862-1260 today to schedule your free case evaluation with an experienced personal injury attorney. There are no fees and no obligations to hire the firm afterward — just the expert legal advice you need. We look forward to serving you.