Every now and then, government agencies are involved in personal injury cases, too.
The latest example comes from Washington state, where a man was awarded $18.5 million in a motorcycle crash case.
According to several reports, the crash happened at about 5:20 in the morning of April 17, 2015. The contractor being used by the Washington State Department of Transportation had chosen to ignore proper protocol, allowing the road under construction to be left without the proper flaggers often used to alert drivers that they must slow down.
It was dark, and Bliss failed to see the truck ahead, which was, on top of everything else, making a dangerous U-turn.
From the Bernard Law Group’s website:
“The accident happened at approximately 5:20 a.m. on April 17, 2015. Mr. Bliss was traveling on the Interstate 5 on-ramp off Harrison Avenue in Centralia when he collided with a dump truck that made an illegal U-turn across the on-ramp. Due to the severity of the impact, Mr. Bliss suffered permanent brain damage, in addition to a host of other injuries. The injuries left him fully dependent on the help of doctors and medical professionals for the past year. Had a flagger been present, this horrific accident would have been prevented.”
When companies like the one working for the Washington DOT are immune from the real consequences of their actions, this is the consequence.
In a free, private market, companies have to ensure their brand is recognized—and trusted. This company doesn’t have to go the same lengths to be trusted. Why? Because it has influence within government.
Due to this lawsuit, the taxpayer will have to pay for a mistake that should have been prevented in the first place. And Bliss will have to suffer until his last days as a result of negligence. If government wasn’t involved in the development and maintenance of roads, Scott Bliss wouldn’t have to be on a wheelchair as you read this post.
Unfortunately, many other accidents like this will continue to happen.
