Man Will Collect $2 Million in Lawsuit Arising From A Defective Roading Design

The Washington State DOT has settled a lawsuit with a man injured at a highway intersection. It was alleged that the Department of Transportation had failed to fix a dangerously designed roadway at the intersection of two highways. The plaintiff was seriously injured at the intersection in 2006 and had almost died. He was riding his motorcycle when a car that was attempting to turn left from one road into the southbound lanes cut him off. The motorcycle crashed into the passenger side of the vehicle. The plaintiff received serious injuries and more than four years after the crash, he cant use his right arm and has limited use of his left.

The lawsuit alleged that the DOT had failed to fix the intersection. There had been a study that recommended the closure of the left-turn lane. The plaintiff’s hospital bills in late 2006 had totaled to be more than $600,000. There had always been some real concerns about the intersection. It was described as "a scary intersection to deal with." The cost for fixing the intersection would have only been about $50,000 and that was a big factor in the case.