Must a Municipality Post Warning Signs on Road Curves?

A municipality’s duty to provide reasonably safe roads includes the duty to safeguard against inherently dangerous or misleading conditions. This means that the absence of road signs warning of curves ahead is a factor relevant to deciding if the municipality is negligent.

Who Is Liable When Road Signs Are Absent?

Municipalities are generally held to the same negligence standards as private parties. A municipality owes a duty to all travelers, whether they are themselves negligent or fault-free, to maintain its roadways in a condition that is reasonably safe for ordinary travel. This duty includes the duty to eliminate any inherently dangerous or misleading conditions.

Washington Law Center Wins Fight Against Municipality

These above-stated authoritative legal standards were recently stated by the Court of Appeals of the State of Washington, Division III, on January 13, 2021 in a case where Washington Law Center represents a seriously-injured minor who was an innocent passenger in a motor vehicle driven by a criminally-negligent driver. Read our recent Court of Appeals decision here.

Suing A Municipality After An Accident

If you’ve been seriously injured in a car accident, it is critical to your ability to recover financially that you sue the responsible municipality for the negligent design or maintenance of the roadway on which you were injured. This naturally includes an inquiry as to whether or not the roadway has appropriate warning signs for hazards that could injure passing drivers. You may even sue for the inherently dangerous conditions adjacent to the roadway if any of those contributed to the severity of your injury and the municipality had either actual or constructive notice of those conditions. 

How Washington Law Center Can Help You

At Washington Law Center, we are experts in the laws and court rulings pertaining to motor vehicle accidents. We stand ready to fight for you in court if the financially-responsible municipality attempts to disclaim its liability for your serious personal injury. No matter which municipality you need to sue in our state, big or small, Washington Law Center is here for you.