Divorce Lawyers, Bad Drug Lawyers, Now Pothole Lawyers ?

Are There Millions Awaiting Victims of Pothole Neglect ?

If you have been injured in an accident in Michigan involving a pothole, please contact us by phone at ... a Michigan law firm.

You can imagine my surprise when in my regular perusal of the Internet for information of interest to this blog, I came across a page advertising a "Pothole Accident Attorney". Well maybe no so surprised since I have been a victim of bad Michigan roads myself - $$$.

The attorney who has the web page is no small time operator. The firm regularly advertises on TV obviously spending a lot of money on all kinds of advertising. So I assume that advertising for pothole accident cases must mean that there is money to be made on them. But what are the chances of winning a pothole claim in court? Is this something the state of Michigan should be worried about? Could it take a chunk out of the money to fix roads?

In the page advertisement it states the following:

"If you can prove the city had notice of the pothole, and they should have corrected the problem before your injury, you can sue the city for your injuries. There is no cap on damages since you are suing a governmental agency. Since you are suing a non-automotive defendant, the injured person does not need to prove that they suffered a serious impairment of a body function." (italics mine)

There is even a button to click to see if you have a case. There is also some references to Michigan laws relating to accident claims against government agencies. But what about that 'thirty days notice' required about a pothole problem before a person can file a claim? Again the page states:

"This does NOT mean that if a pothole was only there for a few days that the agency would not be liable. 30 days makes it a per se violation, but that does not mean that an agency can wait 30 days to repair a pothole. "

And there is a lot more there to make someone think that making a claim against a city, county or the state of Michigan might be worth the time and effort. Especially if the amount of out of pocket money needed to fix a vehicle damaged by a pothole or other road issue is considerable (like in my case).

Hit a Pothole? Call Today !

The bottom line is this. There is no getting around the fact that the government agency responsible for the upkeep and repair of our roads must KEEP them in good repair or pay for damages to our vehicles caused by bad roads. Maintaining our roads in “reasonable repair” is what we pay taxes for. So, fix the roads or face lawsuits. And if a case is won and a judgement has to be paid don't cry that there is less money to fix the roads.

Message to Michigan Lawmakers:

Do Your Job - Fix Our Roads !

Oh, and if you want a Great Bumper Sticker to get the message out, just click on the "Bumper Stickers" tab at the top of the page.

Drive Careful,
Will