The warmer weather of summertime means a variety of things: vacations, holiday barbecues, and road construction. Hard-working construction workers utilize the nice weather to repair road conditions in our community. As they sweat under the hot sun working to improve our city, there are set work zone safety guidelines that everyone must follow to prevent tragic accidents.

New York Road Construction Accident Stats

In the United States, a construction work zone car crash occurred every 5.4 minutes in 2015. Over 25,000 of the accidents involved at least one person suffering an injury. In the following year, New York State construction zone accidents with fatalities soared to the highest number recorded since 2002. 71 construction workers were killed in NYS within that one year. Over the last five years, there has been an increase of 29.5% of the death rate in construction accidents in New York State. The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health or NYCOSH considers this to be an “epidemic of construction fatalities.”

Causes of Construction Zone Accidents

Construction zone accidents are often caused by the inattention or negligence of the driver. These common causes include:

• Ignoring the speed limit and driving too fast
• Texting while driving or overall cell phone use
• Not following work zone directions and signs
• Hazardous road conditions
• Driving under the influence

5 Ways to Avoid a Work Zone Crash

Brindisi, Murad, Brindisi and Pearlman want to help you avoid the devastation of a work zone crash. Take a look at our top five tips.

1. Remain alert. Even if it is night time or if it looks like there are no construction workers around, you cannot be too certain. Pay attention to the changing road patterns and any workers on or near the road.
2. Follow directions. You probably see it every day. One lane is closing for upcoming road work and a person is trying to merge into one lane at the last second. This is a sure way to cause an accident in a work zone. Read and follow the signage and take the necessary detours.
3. SLOW DOWN. There is a reason why speeding ticket prices spike in work zones. Follow the speed limit signs and slow down when approaching road work and traffic cones.
4. If you can, move over. If it is possible, it is a good idea to give construction workers extra room. If you can, move over to the next lane.
5. Do not tailgate. You want to give other drivers space if they must suddenly stop in traffic. As tempting as it is, do not tailgate as it could lead to a domino car accident and potential dangers for construction workers.

What to Do If You Are Hurt in a Work Zone Accident

If you are a construction worker injured in a work zone car accident or if you are a driver injured due to another motorist’s negligence, seek help immediately. Call 911 to request medical attention. If you are able, ask a coworker to address the scene and alert any oncoming traffic, and, if safety allows, to take photographs of the road conditions or progress of the work at the time of the accident and the construction zone speed limit. Next, the most important step is to contact a personal injury attorney so they can review your case to see if you have a potential lawsuit. There is no upfront cost to you and they will be able to fight for your rightful compensation to take care of lost wages, medical expenses, and pain and suffering.

If you are a hard-working road construction worker or a driver that is abiding by the work zone rules who has been injured by the careless actions of another, Brindisi, Murad, Brindisi and Pearlman are here for you. You risk your life every day to provide for your family and deserve justice for the wrong done to you by a careless driver.  You need the personal injury lawyers at The Peoples Lawyer.  We fight for construction workers and innocent drivers in Central New York and we want to fight for you. Contact our office today for a consultation completely free of charge.

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Tags: Car Accidents