Road construction isn’t just the bane of every driver’s existence—it can also lead to extremely serious car accidents and injuries. If you suffered an injury in an accident that unsafe road construction conditions caused, you need experienced legal counsel.
You’re entitled to the compensation that you deserve! Don’t leave your claim to chance or to the discretion of the insurance company. Call us now! The dedicated road construction attorneys at Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, are on your side. We are open, for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 800-898-4877, or you may contact us now by CLICKING HERE for a free case evaluation!
Road Construction: The Statistics
We all know the familiar annoyances associated with road construction, but you may not recognize the inherent danger associated with these traffic-stallers. Road construction serves an important service to the infrastructure of our highways and byways, but road crews that don’t execute construction safely can wreak disaster. If you suffered an injury in a dangerous road construction site, seek immediate medical attention and then consult an experienced road construction accident law firm.
Consider the statistics available for road construction accidents:
- Four out of five road construction fatalities in the United States are occupants of the vehicles passing through (rather than highway workers).
- Most road construction fatalities happen in areas with a posted speed limit of 50 miles per hour or faster.
- Rear-end collisions are the most common road construction accidents.
- The most dangerous areas in road construction are the entrances and exits—because cars are also typically engaged in changing lanes and merging in these areas.
- Construction work accidents happen most often in summer and fall (“construction zone season”).
Finally, a good point to remember is that when you travel at 45 miles per hour—as opposed to 65 miles per hour—it only takes you an extra minute to travel through road construction that’s two miles long. Speed kills—slow down for safety!
Staying Safe in the Construction Zone
If you drive, road construction is a fact of life. The best way to stay safe out there is to know how to focus on safely maneuvering through road construction, which is often unpredictable and, thus, dangerous. There are several safety tips to keep in mind:
- Expect surprises. The parameters of road construction can change from day to day—or even from hour to hour—and these abrupt changes often come without warning. Be alert to what’s happening in the construction zone you’re traveling through.
- Distracted driving is always dangerous, but it is even more dangerous in road construction. Your phone can wait until you’re off the road. Be on the lookout for distracted drivers in your midst.
- Speed limits are posted for a reason—to help keep everyone safer. This includes you and the workers on the road. Adhere to the posted speed limit, and if necessary, reduce your speed even further—especially when workers are in your midst. Speed plays a major role in road construction accidents.
- Be alert to upcoming and abrupt changes in the work zone. Often, speed limits are lower, lanes are narrower, traffic patterns change, and workers appear on the road.
- Maintain safe distances between both sides of your car and the road construction around you and between your vehicle and the car ahead of you.
- Attempt to exit road construction as smoothly and efficiently as you safely can. This helps allow traffic to continue to flow.
- Pay careful attention to flaggers on the road. If they’re there, there’s a reason for it. Always carefully follow their instructions.
- If there’s road construction on your regular route, make the appropriate tweaks to your plans—pick an alternate route, build in extra time, and/or plan for inevitable delays. Don’t get in the kind of rush that makes you take dangerous chances. You’ll get there when you get there. Safety should always be your primary concern.
By following these guidelines, we can all help keep road construction zones safer for everyone.
Negligent Driver or Dangerous Work Zones?
Car accidents that occur in road construction zones are often the result of the same kind of driver negligence that causes other car wrecks. Sometimes, road construction accidents happen because the crews working on the roadway are negligent. There are a variety of design flaws that can contribute to dangerous accidents:
- When crews or equipment obstruct visibility
- When signage is confusing, inadequate, or absent
- When mechanisms designed to control traffic are confusing, ambiguous, or obstructed
- When workers leave construction debris or hazards on or near the road
- When the pavement drops off dangerously
- When pavement markings are missing or inadequate
- When crews fail to post signage informing drivers about decreased speed limits
- When traffic is inadequately channeled
- When lanes are too narrow for safe passage
- When merging is frequent or poorly addressed
Road construction is dangerous enough on its own. When road construction crews plan poorly or are otherwise negligent, it becomes that much more dangerous.
Your Road Construction Accident Claim
If you’ve suffered an injury a road construction accident, you’ve got plenty to deal with—from the property damage to your car to your physical injuries and medical expenses (and beyond). Your car accident claim needs to adequately reflect the totality of your damages to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. Someone else’s negligence has left you injured, and you need to recover compensation for your damages.
If Road Construction Caused Your Injury, Contact an Experienced Road Construction Accident Law Firm for a Free Consultation Today
Sure, it’s annoying to slow down for road construction, but it’s devastating to suffer injuries—or worse—in a road construction accident. The precarious conditions of poorly managed road construction can lead to terrifying accidents.
Road construction can leave you with devastating injuries—but our experienced legal team has the skill, commitment, and compassion to fight for your rights and your rightful compensation! We’re here to help you!
The legal team of Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, is nationally recognized for protecting the rights of injured victims for more than 20 years. If you were injured in a road construction accident, call our office right now to schedule a free consultation! Because we take all of our personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, you will not owe us a DIME unless we win your case. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so call us today at 800-898-4877 or contact us now by CLICKING HERE.
