Buffalo, New York, Car Accidents Caused By Lack Of Guardrails

Jed Dietrich, Esq. and his Team of Top Rated Buffalo Car Accident Attorneys are Dedicated to Representing Individuals Who Have Sustained Injuries Due to Missing Guardrails.

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In the United States, public roadways are required to follow specific safety standards in order to safeguard the wellbeing of the individuals using them. One of these safety standards is the use of a guardrail on unsafe edges or drops along roadways. A missing or improperly installed guardrail can lead to severe injury and even death.

If you or a loved one were victims of an accident caused by a lack of guardrail in Buffalo, New York, Jed Dietrich, Esq. and his team of top rated Buffalo car accident lawyers are prepared to take action on your behalf. The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has obtained over $175,000,000 in compensation for their clients, including a $700,000 settlement for a man injured in a roll-over accident. We are available 24 hours per day and 7days per week to answer your questions. Call us today at (716) 839-3939 or contact us online to receive your free consultation.

What Is a Guardrail?

A guardrail is a reinforced metal barrier designed to halt out-of-control motor vehicles. Sometimes referred to as highway guardrail s, they are located on public roadways and act as a buffer to push back cars that accidentally veer off of the road. Guardrails are often placed on the edges of highways, between medians, and alongside steep drops and cliffs. Their purpose is to catch and halt cars before they tumble into unsafe terrain, but guardrails are not always successful. A motor vehicle might crash through a guardrail if it is traveling at a high speed, if it is significant in size, or even if it strikes the guardrail in a certain way.

At the Dietrich Law Firm P.C., we understand the life-changing effects of personal injury. A car accident can permanently alter your way of life. As such, the importance of finding the right representative for your personal injury case cannot be overstated. Our team of top rated Buffalo car accident attorneys is more than capable of representing you. Please call us today at (716) 839-3939 or contact us online for your consultation.

What Are the Legal Requirements for Guardrails in NYS?

For a highway guardrail to be considered up to code, it must be crashworthy, i.e., the guardrail must be able to withstand the impact of a motor vehicle running into it. A highway guardrail must meet the crash safety standards outlined in the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) or the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 350. If a guardrail does not meet these standards, it is not crashworthy and, therefore, a potential safety hazard to all motorists.

A crashworthy guardrail will deflect an out-of-control motor vehicle back towards the roadway. A recent article from USA Today reported an instance of defective guardrail faces installed across the company. Instead of pushing cars back, as they were meant to, the guardrails, in fact, cut into the cars, causing severe property damage and the potential for calamitous personal injuries. According to the report, the company in question sold the guardrails while aware that they were not crashworthy. The Federal Highway Administration brought a False Claims suit against the company for selling them a fraudulent product.

In the event that you are in a car accident that damages a guardrail, New York State requires that you or your insurance company pay for the cost of repairs. Depending upon your automobile insurance policy, the cost of repairs will be covered under your insurance plan. When you receive a bill for the guardrail damages, you should send it on to your insurance company. For this reason, it is important to report any accident, no matter how minor, to your insurance company.

Car Accident Action Steps

A missing guardrail on a roadway can cause serious personal injury. If you are involved in a car accident, your first priority should always be to get you and the other individuals involved to safety. Seek out necessary medical attention and clearly mark the hazardous area using a caution cone or roping it off so as to ensure that others are not similarly injured. A highway hazard can be reported through the Department of Transportation website.

Once the area has been secured and medical treatment administered, your next steps should be to report the incident to your insurance company. When it comes to building your case, you will need to prove that the lack of a guardrail led to the damages sustained by your person or your motor vehicle. It is to your benefit in these instances to enlist the services of a professional Buffalo car accident attorney. Not only will they be able to assist you in building a strong case, but they will also know exactly which questions to ask and whom to contact when it comes to arguing your case.

Jed Dietrich, Esq. knows that the safety of you and your loved ones is a top priority. It is his mission to ensure that you receive proper representation in Buffalo car accident claims and that you obtain the highest compensation possible for your losses. Our team of Buffalo, New York car accident attorneys at the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and can be reached at (716) 839-3939 or online.

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Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at (716) 839-3939 so that our aggressive, tenacious and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in Buffalo, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!

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