Dallas Median Barrier Accident Attorney

Median barriers are constructed to prevent the worst type of car accident imaginable, a head-on collision with oncoming traffic. However, median barriers themselves often become the main cause of car crashes in Dallas and all across Texas.

Median barriers are erected on multi-lane highways and roads by local authorities to separate lanes of traffic traveling in opposite directions. “On roads and highways where there are no median barriers, vehicles can cross the median strip and collide with vehicles from oncoming traffic,” explains our Dallas car accident attorney at Law Office of Dorothy Hyde. “Median barriers are designed to prevent these crashes.”

Median barriers can cause car accidents

However, as we have mentioned earlier, these median barriers, which can be made of concrete, metal railings, steel cables or other materials, are often responsible for causing car accidents, as ironic as it may sound.

Unfortunately, improper or irregular inspections and maintenance of roads and highways can cause these safety barriers to become faulty, damaged, and defective over time, not to mention that some median barriers are improperly or poorly installed, constructed, or designed.

Different types of median barriers

Generally, there are three different types of median barriers, which serve their own purpose:

• Rigid barriers. These median barriers are made of concrete and are usually constructed on all high-traffic roads and highways in Dallas and all across Texas. Rigid barriers are the worst type of safety barrier to collide with, because they absorb very little energy from the impact.
• Semi-rigid barriers (guardrails). These median barriers are mostly made of metal railings and installed on medium-traffic roads and highways. As you may have guessed, semi-rigid barriers are not as sturdy as rigid barriers, as a vehicle can easily move or break this type of barrier.
• Cable barriers, which is the most penetrable and breakable type of median barriers. Also, cable barriers, which are made of steel cables, are the easiest and least expensive type of barriers to install.

Who’s liable for a car accident involving median barrier?

When a car accident involves a median barrier, it can be very difficult to determine who’s liable for the crash. After all, besides the motorists involved in the crash, the public or government entity responsible for the construction, design, inspection, and maintenance of that median barrier and/or road or highway may also be held liable.

That’s why consulting with a Dallas median barrier accident attorney is often the best way to ensure that you are getting the maximum compensation you deserve and that all negligent parties will be held accountable. In many auto accidents involving median barriers, all parties involved split liability.

For example, the city may be held responsible for failing to conduct inspections often enough to notice that the median barrier was broken, while a motorist whose vehicle broke through the median barrier may be held liable for getting distracted behind the wheel and the motorist from oncoming traffic may be held responsible for exceeding the speed limit.

Need legal help? Call our Dallas car accident lawyer

Consequences of median barrier accidents can be catastrophic and deadly, as colliding with a safety barrier, especially a rigid barrier, can cause the driver and his or her passengers to be ejected from the vehicle. Recovering damages in any car accident can be tough, but even more so when your case involves median barriers.

Speak to our skilled car accident lawyers at Law Office of Dorothy Hyde to establish all liable parties in your particular case. Do not rule out the possibility that a government or public agency may share the liability as well. Call our offices at (214) 883-1700 to get a free consultation today.