Car Crashes in Construction Road Work Zones
By Pyle Law, September 19 2022 4:52 pmAccording to the National Safety Council, 857 fatalities and 44,240 injuries occurred in work zone crashes in a recent year. Typically, car crashes in work zones happen as vehicles approach, exit, or move through the controlled area.
Road construction causes a great inconvenience because a six-lane highway might be reduced into two. However, road construction is a necessary evil to keep the roads upgraded and maintained with the changing traffic demands.
Unfortunately, car crashes result in life-threatening injuries, disability, loss of income, or death. If you’re a car crash victim in construction road work zones, a Kansas car accident lawyer can help pursue just compensation.
It’s generally difficult to navigate through a construction road work zone. It’s even more demanding in low visibility at night, foggy days, heavy rain, or snow. Remember, heavy traffic impedes daytime road construction.
With that in mind, the site manager needs to set up extra floodlights at night to mimic daytime lighting. Ultimately, poor lighting reduces incoming traffic’s ability to navigate heavy machinery, obstacles, or workers, increasing the risk of accidents.
Speeding contributes a significant contributor to accidents in construction road work zones. The presence of heavy machinery, workers, large trucks, and other vehicles makes it difficult to navigate construction road zones.
It’s, therefore, crucial to slow down as you approach construction sites. As a result, a cautious driver anticipates an obstacle, merging lanes, diversions, and traffic snarl-ups. Despite the multiple warnings, drivers speed in construction zones, increasing the risk of accidents.
Sadly, speeding results in severe injuries like head injuries, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, broken bones, and lacerations.
Construction firms display warning signs to enhance the safety of road users and their workers. Drivers should be alert to identify warning signs that precede a road construction site.
Some of the common warning signs include:
Warning signs can prompt a driver to find an alternative route or slow down, reducing the risk of accidents.
According to NHTSA, distracted driving claimed 3142 lives in 2020. In construction zones, distracted drivers pose a higher risk because they’re unaware of the danger ahead. For instance, an incoming driver who’s texting can hit a construction worker for lack of sufficient reaction time.
In addition, vehicles are guided through construction zones by direction and road signs. That said, a distracted driver can easily miss these signs compounding the risk of accidents.
Recovering from an injury can involve surgical procedures, medication, physical therapy, and frequent hospital trips. As such, you need maximum protection to cover your medical bills, pain, suffering, and lost income.
At Pyle Law, we’re committed to offering the best representation to our clients. Contact us online or call us at 620-241-9000 for a free consultation.
