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The following tale is true. The names have been changed, however, for the sake of privacy of those involved. Marlon Marion was injured in a bicycle accident that happened when he rode over a section of uneven pavement on a street near his San Diego home. When his bicycle's front tire hit a deep and difficult-to-see groove caused by the street having suck an inch, the man was launched from his bike. This type of street damage, which is caused by weather and other factors, is all too common in most cities. The man shattered his clavicle, had many rib fractures, and had injuries to his collarbone which will require more surgeries in the future. After his wife brought the situation to the attention of a major San Diego newspaper, the city took swift action. There may have been a number of similar accidents prior to the event. The city street division wasted no time in sending a crew to the scene of the accident to apply an asphalt coat to the bad pavement. What is to be gleaned from the above story is that in many cities there are a number of problems that are very dangerous to those on wheel or foot that can easily be repaired. In this example, a city only needed one day to fix something that had caused injuries on multiple occasions. The question we should then ask ourselves is why had the problem not already been fixed ? Perhaps not all fixes are as simple as in this particular case, but in general, cities must make public safety a top priority. There is more to public safety than just having police on the streets and firefighters to put out fires. It should also include safe roadways and sidewalks. Cities or governmental agencies that fail to act when they are aware of dangerous roadways or sidewalks can be held liable for injuries that occur. California Government Code allows for this in circumstances where the situation was known by a governmental agency, and when the situation could have been corrected at a reasonable time and expense. In our case, the bike rider would be eligible to file a claim. You only have six months to file such a claim against a government agency. Make your city officials aware of any situations like this that you are aware of. Mark the date that you made them aware of the situation on your calendar, and take note of whether or not the situation is rectified in a reasonable amount of time. You don't have to make street repairs yourself (and probably shouldn't try), but it is your responsibility as a good citizen to report bad roads and sidewalks to the people whose job it is to do such things. The injury you help prevent may be your own. If you yourself are injured because of damaged roadways, you have the right to seek legal counsel when dealing with the matter, and sometimes that may be necessary to get the city to take action. Poorly maintained roads and sidewalks can cause serious injury. If this happens to you, call San Diego injury attorney Bisnar & Chase for a free consultation. http://www.san-diego-accident-lawyers.com
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