Who’s At Fault in a Car Accident? A Guide to Liability in Ohio
Posted in: Car Accidents
KNR Legal Blog
Certain roads are more dangerous than others for a variety of reasons, including design of the road, posted speed limits, amount of traffic, signage, and more. In Cleveland, studies and reviews have found certain roads are particularly dangerous to drivers and pedestrians. If you are injured in one of these areas, responsibility may fall on more than the other driver. The city or state may be partially responsible due to a dangerous road design or lack of appropriate signs. You should call our Cleveland car accident attorneys at Kisling, Nestico & Redick at 1-800-HURT-NOW to discuss your rights and options.
Cuyahoga County has the No. 1 and 3 ranked priority urban freeways in Ohio, according to ODOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program’s Priority Location List for 2016. The intersection of I-77 and I-90 is the top urban highway in need of improvements due to how dangerous it is. There were 305.58 average observed collisions at this intersection between 2014 and 2016, though this is not the only factor that makes a portion of a road a priority. ODOT takes into consideration the amount of traffic in an area, the severity of crashes, number of fatalities, the severity of resulting injuries, and more. It then prioritizes areas that see a greater number of serious and fatal accidents than it predicted during a specific time period.
The third ranking urban freeway is a segment of road on I-271, just south of Fairmount Blvd, where 182.4 average crashes were observed between 2014 and 2016. Cuyahoga County also contains the sixth, twelfth and thirteenth ranking urban freeways, giving it five of the top 20 priority spots in Ohio. These are the intersection of I-271 and CR-23 (Cedar Road); a segment of I-90 just east of Bratenahl Road; and the intersection of I-90 and SR-10 (Lorain Avenue), respectively. Other parts of I-90 and I-77 are ranked throughout ODOT’s priority list.
The state is well aware of the dangers of I-77, I-90, and other inter-city highways. It is working on improving the design, road conditions, and traffic congestion through the Cleveland Innerbelt Modernization Plan, which has been in place since 2011 and is outlined through 2034. However, for now, many areas of major freeways in the Cleveland area remain dangerous for drivers and will have the additional hazard of construction zones for years to come.
The top urban non-freeways slated for improvements in Ohio are not in Cuyahoga County though. The first Cuyahoga County urban road to be listed as a priority, ranked No. 23, is a segment of SR-176 just north of Brookpark Road.
None of the priority rural intersections, rural non-freeway roads, or rural freeways are high priorities in Cuyahoga County. Only one rural intersection and rural road each made the list and no rural freeways in the county are currently a priority for improvements.
Cleveland ranked 88th for having the most dangerous streets in American metro areas, according to an analysis by Smart Growth America (SGA) in its report “Dangerous by Design 2016.” Between 2005 and 2014, 136 Cleveland residents were killed in car accidents while walking. This is a high number, though Columbus and Cincinnati ranked higher with a greater number of pedestrian fatalities.
Based on an online interactive heat map provided by the SGA, you can see that some of the roads that turned out to be the most dangerous for pedestrians in Cleveland were Lorain Avenue in the west portion of the city; West 117th; as well as East Roadway, West Roadway, Rockwell Avenue, and South Roadway around Public Square.
Extending into the Cleveland area, Lander, Brainard, and SOM Center roads were dangerous for pedestrians. So were St. Clair near E. 105th in Glenville, York Road and Pearl Road in Parma, and Fitch Road and Cook Road in North Olmsted and Olmsted Falls.
If you are part of a vehicle or pedestrian collision in the Cleveland area, your best chance of receiving all of the compensation you deserve is to work with an experienced Cleveland personal injury lawyer. We have decades of experience helping accident victims pursue compensation through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. During this difficult process, we will always protect your rights and fight for your financial recovery.
To learn more about how we can help, contact us at 1-800-HURT-NOW to schedule a consultation.