Dangerous Roads & Highways

There are various potential causes of commercial truck accidents, and one of the primary tasks of your truck accident lawyer should be to determine what caused your accident and therefore what party or parties should be held liable. One possible cause may be a dangerous road or highway.

At Arnold & Itkin LLP, we use knowledgeable accident scene investigators to gather and review all aspects of a highway's condition and design. Our lawyers thoroughly investigate truck accidents using qualified consultants, road safety experts and accident causation specialists. By building a strong case based on facts, we can help victims of 18-wheeler truck accidents obtain compensation for their losses.

Proving a Roadway is Dangerous

There are several different ways to show that a road, street, highway or freeway presented dangerous hazards to truck drivers and others on the road, including passenger-vehicle motorists, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. For instance, an accident could have been caused by broken pavement, pot holes, steep shoulder drop-offs or fallen trees or boulders. An injury may also be attributable to a lack of safety features, such as rumble strips and guard rails. The very design of the road itself – one that leaves no time for the trucker or other motorist to react to matters such as lane changes or curves — may also be the source of a truck accident.

A state or local government may be the party responsible for safe design and maintenance of a road or street, while the federal government may be in charge of designing, maintaining and repairing interstate roads. Although the state and federal governments may generally be shielded from a lawsuit by the doctrine of sovereign immunity, there may be laws that waive that immunity to a certain extent, such as the Federal Tort Claims Act or a state tort claims statute. Our goal in handling your tractor-trailer accident claim will be to determine exactly how to hold the negligent party accountable, whether this is the federal government or another driver. We use our considerable experience and resources to get to the bottom of every accident case we handle.

Truck Accident Lawyer: FREE Consultation

While driver negligence is the primary cause for most accidents involving commercial trucks, tractor-trailers and 18-wheelers, a truck accident attorney should never rule out the possibility that a defective road, street, highway or freeway contributed to the accident as well.

Because of the complexity in determining the factors and parties responsible in large commercial vehicle accidents, it's important that you work with an attorney who has extensive experience in this area of the law. Through our years of practice, our team has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for the injured and their families. If you would like to learn more about how Arnold & Itkin LLP can help you, please feel free to call at your earliest convenience for a free consultation. We look forward to seeing how we can assist you.