PITTSBURGH BRIDGE COLLAPSE

A 50-year-old bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh early on January 28, 2022, requiring rescuers to rappel down a ravine and form a human chain to reach a few occupants of the municipal bus that plummeted along with the bridge. The collapse came hours before President Joe Biden arrived in Pittsburgh for a previously scheduled visit to promote his $1 trillion infrastructure law, which has earmarked about $1.6 billion for Pennsylvania bridge maintenance. President Biden went to the site of the accident, expressing shock and calling the rescue “a miracle.”

The loud noise from the collapse was followed by a hissing sound and the smell of natural gas. Ruptured gas lines along the bridge produced the leak, and the supply of gas was shut off within a half-hour. At least four people required hospital treatment, but no fatalities occurred. Officials credited the miraculous lack of fatalities and low number of injuries to the fact that the snow and ice that had made roads treacherous overnight had prompted a 2-hour school delay, shifting otherwise busy traffic hours to later in the morning.

WHEN LUCK CAN’T BE COUNTED ON

What if there had not been a school delay that morning? What if the Fern Hollow Bridge, as it is called, had the usual amount of school buses, transit buses, and vehicles on it when it collapsed? The result would have been catastrophic.

Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge is just one of hundreds of bridges in the country that are in poor condition, so poor that they are dangerous, as its collapse demonstrated. Many roads are in similarly poor condition, with potholes, unpaved sections, and uneven surfaces that lead to accidents. Construction zones with confusing or no signage, sudden lane shifts and shoulder drop-offs can also cause accidents. Swerving to miss a giant pothole can send a driver into the adjacent lane, and into the vehicle occupying that lane. Unpaved and uneven sections of road can lead to drivers hitting barriers or other vehicles due to skidding, the need for additional braking time, or confusing last-minute detours.

WHEN BAD INFRASTRUCTURE CAUSES ACCIDENTS

Dangerous road conditions may be the result of natural events, such as tropical rains and flooding, or sleet and ice that make driving unsafe. But dangerous road conditions can also arise from the poor physical condition of a road and its surroundings. Various government agencies are responsible for maintaining roads and ensuring they are safe for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, including providing proper signage, lighting, pavement markings, signals and traffic control devices. The government has a duty to design, build and maintain safe roads and bridges. If an accident occurs because of a hazardous road condition, the government agency responsible for maintaining the road may be liable.

Determining whether a government entity has liability for an accident caused by poor road conditions or a dangerous bridge is complicated. If you have been in an accident and suspect faulty or poorly maintained roads to be the cause, one very important thing to keep in mind is that responsibility for those roads doesn’t fall solely to the federal government. Ownership—and therefore maintenance and upkeep—of roads falls to different governing bodies, from the federal government to state governments to cities and even private organizations. Determining negligence and liability follows a specific set of steps, and while it’s always a complex process, it gets even trickier when dealing with municipal agencies and responsibility of road maintenance.

If you have been in an accident and suspect faulty roads or improper signage is to blame, it is best to seek out an experienced attorney who can help you understand your situation and decide whether or not to pursue a case.

CONTACT YOUR ATTORNEY

Contact Dave Thomas at The Thomas Law Firm for a free consultation regarding your legal rights.