MICHIGAN APPEALS COURT RULES THAT CITY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR UTILITY POLE HIT BY INJURED MOTORIST

A Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that the City of Detroit has a duty to maintain utility poles in situations where a defective pole proximately causes a motorist's injuries. The circumstances of the accident, and the complaint filed by the plaintiff are described. Details are also given of the suit and the circuit court's judgment. At issue was whether the city placed the utility pole too close to the roadway and, furthermore, improperly designed, planned, inspected, and maintained the utility pole. The Appeals Court found that a utility pole which is on, or encroaches upon, an improved portion of the highway may occasion suit against the state or a county under defective highway provision. It also noted that poles may themselves constitute part of the improved portion of the roadway, thus exposing an agency having jurisdiction over street lighting to liability for breaching its duty to repair and maintain street lighting.

• Availability:
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• Corporate Authors:

  TranSafety, Incorporated

  8136 Old Keene Mill Road, Suite B-101
  Springfield, VA  United States  22152
• Publication Date: 1987-8

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 2-3
• Serial:
  • TRANSAFETY REPORTER
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue Number: 8
  • Publisher: TranSafety, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0884-612X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Courts; Crash causes; Injuries; Maintenance; Utility poles
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00473087
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 1987 12:00AM