When you get in a single-car auto wreck in Pennsylvania, you assume you have no one to blame but yourself. After all, no one pushed you into that telephone pole, or another aggravated driver did not force you to veer into the ditch. Now you have to file a claim with your own insurance company, which will either deny your claim or pay it and then increase your rates…or do you? Believe it or not, but not all single-car auto accidents are the fault of the sole driver. Sometimes, another party may be at fault. FindLaw explores those instances when the driver in a single-car crash may be free of liability.
Sometimes, a single-vehicle car wreck occurs because of a manufacturing defect. Maybe the alignment on the car was off, or maybe the brakes were bad. If your car accident was the result of faulty car parts, you may be able to sue the manufacturer for product liability. If you can prove any aspect of the vehicle was faulty and the fault was the cause of the collision, you may have a case of strict liability.
Poor road maintenance and design may also be the reason for your accident. A stop light that malfunctions, deep potholes that the county should have filled, on-ramps that have signs pointing in the wrong direction and lack of signage are all issues that can cause single-vehicle car accidents. If your crash was the result of poor road design or maintenance, you may be able to file a claim against the state or local government for damages.
If you crashed because you were trying to avoid another negligent driver, pedestrian or bicyclist, the party you were trying to avoid may be at fault for the accident. For instance, say a person runs out into the street. You swerve to avoid the person and hit a telephone pole. The running person may be liable for damages.
The content shared here is for informational purposes only. It should not be taken as legal advice.
