When driving at night, you expect to have lighting in important areas on the road, helping you see hazards almost as well as you would see them in daylight. Municipalities and road departments often choose to place streetlights in areas where there is a concern about potential collisions.
Sometimes, though, these lights malfunction or burn out, leaving certain areas of the streets with inadequate lighting. If this lack of light in the area led to a crash in which you suffered an injury, it is possible that the municipality or another party could be liable for a personal injury claim.
Consider hiring a Biloxi poor lighting accident lawyer to represent your interests. The Morris Bart law office knows how to build a claim against a municipality and will work to help you receive the fairest possible award if you hire us. Contact our firm at (228) 357-9621 as soon as possible for a free review of your case.
Types of Accidents Involving Poor Lighting
When the lighting is not adequate to help drivers see potential hazards, it can lead to several different potential accidents and injuries. For example, these possible collisions may involve one or multiple vehicles, depending on the circumstances.
For a free legal consultation with a Poor Lighting Accident lawyer serving Biloxi, call (228) 357-9621
Single-Car Collision
Inadequate lighting is often a common cause in a single-car accident at night. When a parking lot or parking garage has burned out lighting, it can be problematic for drivers using the area, as they may not be familiar with the hazards there. In a parking garage or lot that is too dark, a driver could hit items such as the following:
- Parking barriers
- Retaining walls
- Support posts
- Signs
- Other vehicles
- Parking attendant buildings
- Dumpsters
- Construction equipment
Hitting heavy stationary objects like these can cause an airbag deployment and potential injuries for anyone riding in the car, even at relatively slow speeds.
Multiple-Car Collision
Lighting problems can lead to more than one car’s involvement in a crash. One of the most frequent issues occurs at busy intersections in which the medians and turn lanes are not well lit. When drivers cannot see which lanes they should be in when entering an intersection, it increases the chances of someone making a mistake that leads to a crash with injuries.
Interstate entry and exit ramps also often have large lights illuminating the area, making it easier for drivers to see traffic. Without lighting, it is possible someone entering the interstate from a ramp could sideswipe someone traveling on the highway already.
For help with your case, consider hiring a Biloxi poor lighting accident lawyer to prove what happened and who is responsible. We will investigate the facts, determining which parties failed to provide the lighting required to avoid the crash. To know if your case qualifies, call the Morris Bart law office at (228) 357-9621 today for a free case review.
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Other Types of Required Street Lighting
Should you have experienced a collision in which the permanent or emergency street lights were not adequately installed, you may be able to seek damages for your injuries from the party that was responsible for adding and maintaining the lighting in the area.
Street Construction
If crews working on street projects must leave materials and equipment in the construction area overnight, state statutes and city ordinances, such as Biloxi Code of Ordinances §17-2-8, require that they include lighting that warns drivers of the hazards in this area. These lights may consist of spotlights or flashing lights on sawhorses that warn drivers.
Without the lighting, a driver may not expect the dangers, potentially leading to a collision. Lighting should be placed next to the following items:
- Piles of dirt
- Piles of gravel
- Lumber
- Broken cement or asphalt
- Excavations
- Construction equipment
- Narrowed lanes
Railroad Crossings
For rail lines that cross through city limits, Biloxi Code of Ordinances §17-1-7 requires lighting that alerts drivers to the crossing area for trains, allowing drivers to see all of the hazards ahead.
Railroad crossings have signal control boxes, posts, and gates near the area where cars will cross the tracks. Adding lighting in the area helps drivers see these hazards and avoid them at night.
Collisions Related to Inadequate Lighting Can Be Tricky to Navigate
When you suffer an injury in a crash on a dark road, you may be unsure how to proceed. You will need to show that the lighting was inadequate, but the party responsible for maintaining the lights may disagree. This disagreement can make it difficult to win your personal injury claim. Rather than navigating this process on your own, you can hire a Biloxi poor lighting accident lawyer to help you build your case for damages from the responsible party.
Investigating a Poor Lighting Collision Case
If the Morris Bart law office represents you in this case, our team will investigate the details of the crash. We will study the police report, speak with witnesses, and review the scene to see what kind of lighting was available.
For a free case review, call us today at (228) 357-9621. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you do not need to pay anything upfront to secure our services. Our fee will come from the final settlement amount in the case.
Questions?Call (228) 357-9621
to find a Morris Bart office near you.
