Any traffic change along our area’s roads and highways that will improve safety should be applauded. Too many times, however, public entities wait too long to correct known safety hazards. Whether you are injured in an accident on a road that was improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or repaired, you may be entitled to compensation from the public entity responsible for that area of roadway. These cases often require in-depth investigation and careful pretrial discovery. To maximize the strength of your case, you should talk to an experienced Santa Barbara auto accident lawyer.
Multiple North County spots are making – or considering – traffic changes to enhance safety. According to KEYT, road crews in Santa Maria “will install a new traffic signal system, create dedicated turning lanes, enhance lighting, [and] install reflective pavement markings… along Highway 166 and Black Road.” The changes are designed “to significantly improve traffic flow and safety in the area.”
Just to the west, changes are still under consideration in Guadalupe. The current proposal would place a traffic signal at the intersection of Highway 166 and Highway 1, and another at Highway 166 and Obispo Street. It also would add a 2-way stop at Highway 166 and Flower Avenue.
One resident told KSBY that the new signals and stop signs “can’t get here soon enough. “This is for the safety [of] everyone, including the children going to school... It's just way overdue.”
Obtaining Evidence of Public Liability
If you are hurt in a crash along an unreasonably dangerous stretch of road, ensuring a prompt and complete investigation, along with thorough and timely pretrial discovery, are often keys to getting justice.
California statutory law says that to obtain a judgment and secure compensation from a public entity for your auto accident, you must show:
- The property was in a dangerous condition at the time of the injury,
- The injury was proximately caused by the dangerous condition,
- The dangerous condition created a reasonably foreseeable risk of the kind of injury which was incurred, and
- Either: (a) negligence by an employee of the public entity acting within the scope of his employment created the dangerous condition, or (b) the public entity had actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition [for] a sufficient time prior to the injury to have taken [corrective] measures.”
In other words, you have to show that the public entity caused the problem, or that they knew about the hazard long enough to have addressed it but failed to take sufficient corrective measures.
Doing that frequently means putting together a detailed history of the area in question, including its design history, construction history, and accident history. Furthermore, prior complaints to the entity pointing out the area’s dangerous condition, if they exist, can also be powerful pieces of evidence in your favor. One or more California Public Records Act (CPRA) requests may yield vital proof of this type.
Other proof may also bolster your case. For example, after a Santa Maria woman died in an April 2019 intersection crash, the Santa Maria Sun reported that a Santa Barbara County grand jury voiced several concerns about the intersection’s safety five years earlier. That 2014 grand jury reported that drivers seeking to turn from California Boulevard onto Union Valley Parkway faced visibility problems that forced “northbound drivers to ‘creep’ into the intersection with Union Valley Parkway in order to properly observe cross traffic. This subjects northbound drivers, particularly those turning left, to the increased risk of an accident. In addition, east and westbound drivers on the Parkway cannot see, nor are they warned of, the approaching intersection, also creating a dangerous condition.”
Despite that 2014 grand jury report, the intersection was not converted to an all-way stop until 2020.
You have only a limited time to pursue holding a public entity accountable for your injuries, so acting with all due speed is critical. The experienced Santa Barbara car accident attorneys at the law firm of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos, LLP are here to help guide you through the process, from accident scene investigation to pretrial processes to the final resolution of your case. Contact us today at 805-617-1365 or through our website to get a free case consultation and learn how to put us to work fighting for you.
