What is the Most Common Cause of Highway Work Zone Crashes?
The most common types of accidents in highway work zones are the ones that involve excessive speed or rear-end collisions; approximately a third of worker fatalities in highway construction zones involve commercial motor vehicles.
Highway construction is an essential part of keeping our roads safe; in the long run, leaving public roads to crumble would cause a lot more traffic jams and accidents than repairing them before their condition deteriorates to dangerous levels. Despite this, highway work zones are a no-win situation; any time that the construction crews do the work has its hazards. If the construction takes place during the day, it is easier for the workers to see what they are doing, but the work disrupts the flow of traffic, and drivers are prone to accidents as they adjust to the temporary traffic pattern, which necessarily involves fewer lanes than normal. If the construction takes place at night, then there is less traffic to worry about, but even with the best safety protocols being followed, the poor visibility increases the likelihood of accidents. If you have been injured in a traffic accident in a highway work zone, contact the Murrieta vehicle accident lawyers at Gibbs & Fuerst, LLP.
Highway Work Zone Accident Facts and Statistics
According to the Federal Highway Administration the rate of fatal traffic crashes in highway work zones increased slightly in 2018 and 2019, even as the overall traffic fatality rate decreased. These are some of the key findings from its report on highway work zone accidents:
- In 2019, there were 842 fatal accidents in highway work zones.
- Approximately a quarter of these accidents were rear end collisions.
- 140 of the people who died in highway work zones in 2019 were pedestrians and bicyclists.
- Work zones on arterial roads accounted for slightly more than half of the fatal accidents.
- 31% of the accidents involved excessive speed.
- 33% of the accidents involved commercial motor vehicles such as trucks and tractor trailers.
What to Do if You Get Injured in a Highway Work Zone Accident
If you get injured in a preventable accident in a highway work zone, you should talk to a personal injury lawyer. You may be entitled to recover compensation for your medical bills and other accident-related losses from one of the companies involved in the project or the county or city in charge of the work zone. If you were working on the road construction and got seriously injured, ask a lawyer whether it is better to file a workers’ compensation claim or to sue the responsible parties for negligence.
Contact a Murrieta Personal Injury Lawyer
A car accident lawyer can help you decide on the next steps after you suffer a physically and financially devastating injury in an area where road construction and repairs are taking place; your lawyer can help you get enough money for your past and future accident-related expenses. Contact Gibbs & Fuerst LLP in Murrieta, California to set up a consultation about your car accident case.