Negligence and distraction account for many car accidents that occur in Kent and throughout the entire state of Washington, but poorly designed roads or inadequate signage for pedestrians and motorists can also be considered as contributing factors in serious or fatal crashes. In these situations, a city or county could be held responsible for failing to adequately warn drivers about hazardous road conditions or failing to address concerns that a road may be too dangerous.

Last month, the parents of a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a car accident in 2008 have decided to file a lawsuit against the city of Auburn and King County, claiming that the road did not meet legal standards where the fatal accident occurred and that the road was not safe to drive on because the city and county had failed to maintain it.

The tragic crash occurred on Nov. 7, 2008. According to reports, the boy and a toddler were riding in a Volkswagen Beetle that was being driven by the boy's 16-year-old step-sister. The teenage girl was traveling on Green River Road Southeast in Auburn when she suddenly lost control of the vehicle on the wet road.

The vehicle first swerved into oncoming traffic before it ran off of the road and down an embankment. The car landed in the Green River. According to reports, the girl tried to free the boy and toddler from the vehicle, but the water was muddy, preventing her from being able to find the boys. The girl survived the accident, but both boys died. The toddler was found still strapped in his car seat. Because it rained heavily in the area for days, the body of the 13-year-old boy was never recovered from the river.

The family of the missing boy filed the lawsuit in December in King County Superior Court. They are seeking $20 million in damages. The lawsuit claims that Auburn and King County are responsible for the poor design, construction and maintenance of the road where the girl lost control of the vehicle. According to the lawsuit, the road was too narrow and debris covered important markers indicating where the lanes were on the road for motorists. The city and county are also accused of failing to display signs for motorists warning them that the road was narrow.

Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer, "Lawsuit filed in Green River car crash that killed two kids," Vanessa Ho, Jan. 3, 2012