How likely is it plaintiffs could get a claim against individual homeowners from an HOA negligence suit?

As long as you are incorporated and the roads belong to the corporation, unlikely.
However, the Association would likely have to impose a special assessment to pay the amount ordered by the court, or declare bankruptcy (yes some HOAs have had to do that after a court cost).

If the Association declares bankruptcy, it's possible that the court might appoint a receiver until the bankruptcy is finalized.

Just look at what happened in one Las Vegas HOA.

https://www.fox5vegas.com/news/swing-set-collapses-on-teens-head-jury-orders-las-vegas-hoa-to-pay-20-million/article_e49b5187-31ed-59a2-bf16-4c17dc0f9d50.html

Basically everyone legally would have to give up their home to the plaintiff. But the plaintiff in this case is not going after the full 20 million.

Start of agreement, both parties give reason for entering agreement for the Subdivision to control traffic safety via custom signs. Then in the body of the agreement, the county requires the POA to carry 100/100/300K minimum liability insurance related to personal injury and property damaged related to the signs "at all times" with the county added as insured in the insurance.

I am not an attorney but I assume stating the reason for entering the agreement is to control traffic safety and insurance requirements being imposed and accepted by the POA would be explicit acceptance of such liability.

To determine if a risk at all and/or very remote chance of ever happening, or if it is a real risk that membership should be aware exists.

Are these signs you talking about actual "Stop/Yield" signs or "Street names" signs? The HOA should have no business involving itself making official Stop/Yield signs. That involves so many other laws and not just insurance. Street name signs can be up for debate. However, they could be an issue with insurance if damaged or causes damage.

Both - street names and stop signs on eight posts throughout the subdivision, including two county roads entering a state highway.

Also, to clarify what I am asking: Real risk, or nonexistent and/or extremely remote, that the corporate veil (POA is Inc.) could be pierced and plaintiffs could come after members successfully for amounts in excess of insurance and POA funds?

In other words, if the POA lost all its funds that would be bad but not life changing for members, but if there is a real risk that plaintiffs could come after members, I think membership should know about that risk.

Will the signs meet federal/state DOT standards? I mean will the county allow you to put up sub-standard signs? Is the reason for the signs because they are prettier or are designed to match the rest of the signs in the neighborhood?

I can't believe the county would turn over this responsibility to the neighborhood unless it was a considerable cost savings for them. What incentive to they have to let the community print their own signs?

Do the signs have to have a sign-off from the county before installation? If so, then I think your liability would be very low since the county had final say.

I think we need a bigger picture here.

Update: None of the ~8 signs meet minimum National, State or County minimum clearance for traffic control signs. This concerns me both from a legal liability for the POA and its members, but my own safety, as I routinely job in the neighborhood.

National, States (TX-DoT) and my County (I confirmed with the County Engineer department) call for residential and urban stop signs (rule is if vehicles are likely to park on the roads and/or if pedestrians are common on the roads) to be at minimum 7 feet above the road level - the bottom of the signs must clear at least 7 feet from road level. This standard is to prevent blind spots to drivers created by low signs and to prevent parked vehicles from blocking signs.

I went up to each sign, while standing on the road. I measured none but based on my height, I can tell most are two to three inches above 5 feet from the road level - one is probably below 5 feet and looks weird (like a kid trail stop sign it is so low.)

Every since I noticed this, I have paid attention to stop signs in other nearby neighborhoods. They look they are in the sky compared to how low my subdivision's new signs are.

Also, last Sunday I drove into many other nearby neighborhoods to stop at the signs to see were their signs were in my field of vision while stopped at them. None blocked my vision - at most, I would see a small strip of the stop sign bottom in the very top of the right portion of my windshield. Then I drove through my neighbor looking for the same thing. I found a good percentage of the right portion of my windshield is blocked by most of the signs when stopped at them. It is a noticeable blind spot - and I could see how a pedestrian could be lost in it. The vehicle I was driving is a medium sized SUV. Car drivers would probably have less of a problem, and drivers of larger SUVs would have more of a problem - and full sized SUVs are very popular in my area.

It sounds like you don't believe that the signs meet the county's standards. Is this right? If so why haven't you asked them for these standards so that you can actually measure them and find out? Right now it appears all of your conclusions are based on opinion.

Again the national and state minimum clearance is 7 feet. And a county official answered me that the county's clearance requirement is also 7 feet. And there is no need for me to actual measure them to know they are not 7 feet. Most come to my shoulder or chin, so unless I should be in the Guinness book of world records as one of the tallest humans in history, they are not near 7 feet.

I am not sure we have code enforcement, but after seeing how much of blind spot the signs cause a driver, I am concerned about my own safety since I jog 3 or 4 times a week in the neighborhood. The majority to almost all drivers just slow at stop signs, and some jackrabbit start after slowing. If I, or anyone else, were in a blind spot to the driver because of the sign, they might plow into me. The way some jackrabbit start, it was still be a lot of force and if the driver were not paying attention, they could drag someone they hit but never saw.

Also, if even an average wage earner got killed, a lifetime wage claim if it went against membership after exhausting a small POA's funds, would be far more than any enforcement fines I assume. Plus I would not want some to die or be harmed, if I could prevent it.

I found a code enforcement department for my county, but everything about its statement indicates it mainly, maybe exclusively deals, with building codes. I suspect the Engineering department, which I have contacted, is over street signs. The problem is I suspect this situation is rare. There are private developments that own their own roads, which I assume handle their street signs, but I doubt there are many subdivision with public roads that take on that responsibility. The Engineer was very quick to respond to my original email and he seemed sincere in checking on county owned signs, but then he seemed thrown for a loop when I described the situation. I will wait to see if his department responds to my question whether the county approved of the current signs or not. If no answer a few weeks after the holidays, I could check with the code enforcement department..

1- Whether or not the Association-installed signage is non-compliant or allegedly backstopped by insurance, DOES THE ASSOCIATION EVEN HAVE JURISDICTION upfront ( under Texas law ) to purport to expose its stakeholders to the consequences of extra-territorial risk-taking ? Or road safety ? ( OP says the roads are county owned ) Let alone under whatever covenants on titles ?

2 - Wonder if the association's current insurer(s) has contracted to accept the risks purportedly being accepted ? Or will do so ? Or has even been canvassed ?

A further critical issue : where some level of government is solely responsible for some public property, there usually are steepest possible legal barriers against successful claims for injury/loss eg short deadlines to file a claim . . . . And taxpayers to fund defences & insurance.

But for the association, what here ?

3 - Regardless of 1 & 2 above, if I / my insurer were fighting liability after some sorta injury or loss the adequacy of those signs would be among the potential targets.

I / my insurer would have every reason to argue some sorta causal contribution by the signs. Or by their future deterioration / underheight / blind-spotting etc

"Encouraging safer vehicle operation" or not, the association's signage could potentially drag it into every loss or injury litigation after an accident on the county's road.

Thanks but this makes me feel more concerned as it puts in word, about what I was worried.

Well atleast you got a buzz in the board's ear. That is all you can do at this point. Sometimes you can bring a horse to water but you can't make them drink. Let them keep drinking their milk till it spills... Just protect yourself by talking to your insurance company.

I believe there may be additional insurance coverage you can add onto your own policy for extra protections when dealing with HOA situations. Talk to insurance company to see what may apply. Cost extra but may help in the off extra liability of paying a HOA lawsuit participation. A few other posters here may know more about those options.

Thanks for the update.

Remember that everyone has their own learning curve.
I bet that board member now knows more about the requirements for road signs then anyone else in the development.

First time, the person probably did not measure at all. They were all random from probably below 5 feet to a tad over 6.

A bunch of people were out watching the guy redo them since he was doing it during rush-hour evening time. Two told me that he was measuring from the ground up the pole on the redo. That will probably be a problem too as the regulation is from road edge, not ground as the relevant clearance is for the driver's view. The post are mounted in ditches with vary from the road, some are a few inches below road edge while others are a few feet below the roads as the ditches are not uniform throughout the subdivision.

So while the County will not care probably, I doubt the person did it right the second time either.

Our HOA declaration does not give us the self-insurance option. Do your documents really allow your HOA not to have liability insurance? Also, the county may not be happy if they find out they aren't listed as co-insured.

Our liability insurance went up 400% this year, but we just had to bite the bullet and pay it. We have no alternative.

No. The Bylaws, under a section about powers and responsibility of the Board, state, "Obtaining and carrying all insurance as provided in the Declaration, and paying the
premium cost thereof." That Bylaws point seems worthless because the Declaration does not mention one word about insurance, so that point in the Bylaws is refers to nothing.