Median Barrier Collisions

Median barriers are constructed in order to separate lanes traveling in opposite directions, usually on highways. These barriers are meant to keep vehicles safe from head-on collisions, but they sometimes fail in that objective, or they may be involved in a serious accident when a vehicle traveling on either side crashes into them. The Miami car accidents at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon represent victims who have been hurt in a median barrier collision. Both drivers and passengers of vehicles that strike another car or a barrier may suffer significant injuries that require long-term treatment, and they may incur substantial costs during this process.

Median barriers are generally divided into three types. A rigid barrier is made of concrete, and it is typically utilized in areas with high traffic and speed volumes, such as busy highways where trucks often travel. Rigid barrier crashes may lead to some of the most severe injuries, sometimes fatal, since they are fairly immovable and absorb little energy upon impact. Semi-rigid barriers are guardrails that are often comprised of metal railings reinforced by posts and blocks. Vehicles involved in a collision with a semi-rigid barrier are more inclined to break through the structure, which may lead to a head-on crash with a vehicle traveling on the other side of the barrier. The most penetrable barrier is a cable barrier, which consists of steel cables connected by posts.

Depending on the type of median barrier, the speed at which a vehicle is traveling, and other factors involved in a specific collision, these accidents have the potential to harm victims in devastating ways. The force created in a median barrier collision may even cause a vehicle’s occupants to be ejected, which may cause spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries that result in permanent impairments.

A victim may hold a careless driver who crashes into a median barrier and causes an accident liable by pursuing a personal injury claim against that driver. Additionally, a municipality or another party responsible for constructing or planning the road may be liable for injuries if median barriers are poorly made. To establish a defendant’s liability, a victim must show that they were owed a duty of care by the defendant, which was breached by the defendant’s actions. That careless behavior must have caused the crash and resulted in the victim’s damages.

All drivers owe those around them a duty to act as a reasonable and prudent person would act in similar circumstances. As a result, a driver who is speeding through traffic or engaging in other erratic maneuvers and crashes into a barrier probably would be viewed as unreasonable. A victim who succeeds in establishing the negligence of a driver or another defendant may recover damages related to their injuries, such as past and future medical expenses, property damage, loss of income, and pain and suffering.

Median barrier crashes may even result in a tragic loss of life. In these situations, a family member may pursue a wrongful death claim on a victim’s behalf to be compensated for burial or funeral costs as well as their loss of consortium. In Florida, personal injury cases must be filed within four years from the date of the accident, and family members have two years from the death of a loved one in which to pursue wrongful death damages.

If you have been hurt or lost a loved one in a median barrier collision, the Miami car accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon can help you determine and pursue your legal rights. Call 877.499.4878 or contact us online for a free consultation to explore your options. Our motor vehicle collisions also assist victims in Miami, West Palm Beach, and other cities in Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade Counties.