Missouri Car Accident - County Liable for Downed Stop Sign - Supreme Court Upholds Judgment
After a lawsuit filed by an injured driver a jury verdict was returned for $150,000 in favor of the plaintiff on the claim that the county negligently failed to maintain or repair a downed stop sign and that caused a motor vehicle accident in which the plaintiff sustained personal injury.
The county argued that sovereign immunity should have barred the lawsuit. However, the Missouri Supreme Court held that the cause of action for failure to maintain or repair a stop sign falls within the statutory waiver of sovereign immunity for injuries resulting from dangerous conditions on public property. Missouri Statute 537.600.
This is a victory for victims of injury as the court refused to narrowly interpret the above statute allowing government entities to escape liability for their negligence.
Douglas A. Hensley, Jr., Respondent, v. Jackson County, Missouri, Appellant
