How Do Accidents Happen in Work Zones?

On April 11-15, the Federal Highway Administration celebrated National Work Zone Awareness week, to help combat the dangers of work zone accidents. These sadly common occurrences lead to thousands of accidents every single year across the United States, endangering the lives of construction workers on these sites. But how do accidents happen in work zones in the first place?

What Are Work Zones?

Work zones are places along roads and highways where construction workers work on a project, usually involving road repair, road construction, or utility work. These work zones may involve vehicles like excavators, cement mixers, and dump trucks moving in and out of them, as well as workers performing labor with handheld equipment. These zones are typically marked out with traffic cones, signs, and other indicators to ensure people do not accidentally drive into them.

What Kinds of Accidents Happen on Work Zones?

Work zones are prone to many of the same sorts of accidents that other types of construction sites are vulnerable to, including accidental injury from poorly maintained equipment, cave-ins from collapsing ground, or electrocutions from accidental contact with wires or power lines. However, because these zones are typically located on or next to roads, they have a much higher risk of motor vehicle accidents than other types of work sites. And because these accidents tend to happen along busy roads, they are also significantly more lethal.

Why Are Workers at High Risk of Accidents in Work Zones?

Put simply, drivers are not careful enough around work zones, and in some cases may not slow down or maneuver at all as they approach a zone. This means that accidents in work zones are much more likely to involve high speed crashes, which have a higher chance of serious injury or death. The danger of an accident also significantly increases if the driver is distracted or impaired, since they may not even see the signs marking out a work zone until it is too late.

What Happens if You Are Injured in a Work Site Accident?

If you are a construction worker and you were injured as a result of a work site accident, you should call a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. A lawyer with experience handling construction accidents and other similar types of cases may be able to help you to get the compensation you deserve. The sooner you call, the sooner they can get to work helping you.

If you or a loved one have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, you should seek out the personal injury lawyers at Zlotolow & Associates. Our seasoned New York personal injury attorneys bring more than two decades of trial experience to your case. We serve all five boroughs of New York City, as well as Nassau and Suffolk County. Our aggressive personal injury attorneys always demand maximum compensation. We have helped thousands of clients recover through settlements and courtroom verdicts.