Cherry Hill Construction Accident Lawyers: Dangers of Construction Work Zones

Construction work zones are dangerous places for construction workers, pedestrians, drivers, and passengers.  Construction workers face many serious risks as part of their job including hazardous materials, working at high elevations, operating heavy equipment, falling debris, electrocution, and car accidents. Drivers maneuvering through cattle shoots and detours on highway construction zones put construction workers at risk for injury.

In July of 2014, a New Jersey Turnpike worker was killed when he was struck by a Mercedes that crashed into the back of the truck where he was riding.  The man was picking up signs off of the turnpike from the back of the truck when the crash occurred.  The driver of the Mercedes was charged with vehicular assault and driving under the influence.

Pedestrians walking through a construction zone face the risk of being struck by heavy objects and equipment.  In March of this year, a 37 year old female real estate agent was walking on a pedestrian walkway through a construction zone in New York City when disaster struck.  High winds caused a wooden board from a construction barrier to fly off and hit the woman and threw her up against the wall of a building.  As she fell, she hit her head on a stand pipe and was fatally injured.

Even passengers on a tour bus are not safe when traveling through a construction work zone.  Eight people were injured last month in Seattle when a crane unloading large pipes from a flatbed truck dropped one of the pipes on top of a tour bus filled with passengers.  The pipe tore a hole in the bus, then struck a freeway sign, bounced off and hit the bus again.

Construction Accidents on Roadways

A large majority of construction accidents occur on roadways.  According to data posted on the Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration website, there were 87,606 accidents in construction zones reported in the U.S. in the year 2010.  This number translates to one injury occurring every 14 minutes across the nation in construction zones, for an average total of 102 crashes per day.  Of these crashes, 576 of them were fatal.  Moreover, 31% of construction work zone accidents were caused by speeding, and 20% involved alcohol.  Sixty percent of all of the reported work zone accidents occurred during the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., while 40% occurred at night between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.  Over half of these construction work zone accidents occurred on roads with speed limits of 55 miles per hour and above.

Cherry Hill Construction Accident Lawyers at DiTomaso Law help Victims Injured in Construction Work Zones

If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a construction work zone, you may be entitled to compensation.  Call the experienced Cherry Hill construction accident lawyers at DiTomaso Law at 856-414-0010 or complete our online contact form to schedule your consultation today. We offer our clients a lower contingency fee rate than many other personal injury lawyers.

Our offices are conveniently located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania allowing us to serve clients throughout southern New Jersey, Philadelphia, and in Mount Holly, Burlington County, and Cherry Hill, Camden County.