Turnpike Trouble Avoided

Drivers on the Florida Turnpike were fortunate enough to steer clear of trouble recently when a sinkhole opened up on the southbound lanes. Road crews were able to make the repairs necessary after a water line pipe broke and caused the sinkhole – several of them, in fact. A representative for the Florida Highway Patrol noted that this incident could have caused a lot of damage and potentially deaths if vehicles had hit the sinkholes at the high rates of speed usually driven on this road; fortunately the situation was handled quickly and potentially tragic events were prevented.

Who Is Liable For An Accident?

Hazardous road conditions can spring up suddenly and without any warning at any given time, which makes it all the more important for drivers to remain alert while behind the wheel. It is easy to imagine what could have happened in this scenario if just one driver was not paying full attention to the highway and hit one of those sinkholes. If something had happened, where would fault lie for any damages sustained by other drivers and their passengers?

Narrowing The Focus Or Widening The Net

When looking at an accident and trying to determine who should be held liable, various factors may require us to either focus more on one particular person or cause or to widen our investigation to look at additional parties that may have played a role in the incident. In many cases, liability for sinkhole accidents and issues would lie with the property owner under the theory of premises liability, which means that a property owner is liable for accidents and injuries that occur on his or her property – if they know of the potential danger, or should be aware of it. In the case of a water pipe break, however, that causes a sinkhole on public property – in this case a public road – it would seem that the liability for damages may lie with the company that owned the water pipe as opposed to the property owner – in this case the government. Determining whether the water pipe was defective and the break resulted from the defect – or if there was an element of negligence with respect to the maintenance of the water pipe that caused it to break – can help to determine who should bear liability for damages incurred by accident victims.

Turn To Our Office To Help Determine Who Is At Fault

In some accident cases, it is easy to determine the cause. In others, determining fault is not as straightforward. The legal professionals at Boone & Davis have decades of experience working with difficult matters and have an established network of experts available to help make sense of the most complicated cases. Our Fort Lauderdale auto accident attorneys take their responsibility to provide you with the best possible representation seriously and will work hard to make sure you achieve the results you want. Contact our office now by visiting us online or by phone at  954.556.5260  and get started today.

Resources:

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/All-Lanes-Blocked-on-Turnpike-Southbound-in-Miami-Dade-Due-to-Sinkhole-391499681.html

http://www.tbo.com/news/homeowners-responsible-for-property-damages-if-sinkholes-occur-56540