Did you know that you can sue a State or local agency for the negligent or careless design of their roadways? Well, it’s true. Recent cases in Jackson County and Howell County Circuit Court demonstrate the liability of the Missouri Department of Transportation and the City of Kansas City in two separate incidents.
In the Howell County case, the parents of three children won a verdict of $1.75 million against the Missouri Highway Department of Transportation for their negligence in failing to warn motorists approaching a bridge that a work crew was in the area. Other participants in the accident were held not responsible and the verdict was reduced to $380,000.00 pursuant to State law. In the Kansas City case, the relatives of a deceased motorist filed a wrongful death case against the City of Kansas City for its improper design and maintenance of a traffic signal that created a dangerous and confusing condition at a public intersection. The jury assessed a verdict of more than $1 million against the City of Kansas City. Jurors in the case rejected the City’s arguments that the traffic signals met the minimum national standards for traffic signals.
In both cases, it is necessary for special experts to be hired by the attorneys representing such injured individuals. The Meehan Law Firm has access to such experts and can assist in designing a winning strategy for suing a governmental entity that creates a dangerous roadway. Naming the governmental entity as an additional defendant is a way to increase the potential recovery in any case, especially where another motorist who may have been involved has minimal or low insurance limits.
Contact the Meehan Law Firm for more information on this type of incident.