Every year, approximately 30, 000 people are involved in construction zone accidents in the U.S. According to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, 19, 000 crashes that happened in 2018 involved a truck, 100 involved a bus, and 400 involved a pedestrian. If you were injured in a construction zone accident in New Bedford, you can recover damages by filing a claim. A good New Bedford construction accident lawyer should be to give you legal advice during your free consultation.
At Kevin P Landry Law Offices, we offer free initial consultations and we are available 24/7. You can contact us at 508-999-0800 to schedule your consultation.
Common Dangers in Construction Zones
Buses and trucks account for 30 percent of fatal construction zone accidents, especially in urban roadways. Construction zones have a high amount of machine and foot traffic, narrowed lanes, reduced speed limits, and confusing road alignments for users.
It, therefore, comes as no surprise that commercial motor vehicles are the most common cause of injuries and death in construction zones. In fact, according to the CDC, construction zone worker deaths and injuries are mostly as a result of being struck by a car.
Buses and trucks are built in such a way that the driver cannot easily maneuver the car easily in a construction zone. Some of the design features that make it hard for them to do so include:
- The need for a greater distance to stop once the driver realizes there is a hazard on the road. All cars need to be at a certain distance for them to be able to pull the weight of a car to a stop when the driver hits the brakes. However, heavier cars need a much greater distance than smaller cars in order to pull this off. The same applies to a car traveling on a wet road or at a high speed.
- Trucks and buses have a wider body which makes it difficult for them to maneuver through narrow lanes especially where construction is taking place.
- Commercial vehicles also have a lot of blind spots. This means that the driver has to look over his shoulder while backing up or changing lanes because there are areas outside of the car that they cannot see in their side or rearview mirrors. Given that a construction zone might not be wide enough to maneuver, a driver might find themselves in a blind spot and therefore increase the risk of causing an accident.
- Commercial cars are also at a higher risk of overturning especially when they are loaded improperly. Given that they already have a high center of gravity, creating a weight imbalance makes it more likely for the truck to overturn when the driver makes a sharp curve.
Major Causes of Construction Zone Accidents in New Bedford
Distracted Driving
Texting while driving, eating, drinking or other activities that take your eyes away from the road for even a second can lead to serious accidents. Distracted commercial truck drivers can miss important signs on the road and consequently put construction workers at risk of injury while driving through a work zone.
Overspeeding
Driving too fast in a construction zone can cause a major accident especially if the road condition is not conducive for speeding. Construction zones need to find a balance by ensuring that traffic is moving while keeping the workers safe so you will find most of these zones have a reduced speed limit.
How the Construction Zone is Set Up
If the zone is missing barriers or cones, there’s misleading signage or there is poor lighting, this could lead to an accident. While most of the accidents are caused by drivers, it’s up to construction zone workers to ensure the construction zone is properly set up.
Fatigue or Drug and Alcohol-Induced Impairment
Any of the two situations can cause an inability to respond to an emergency situation or even make good judgments. It’s very important for commercial drivers to undergo regular drug tests to ensure they comply with federal regulations so as to avoid placing undue danger to the public.
How to Recover Damages Following a New Bedford Construction Zone Accident
If you were injured in a construction zone accident, you can see compensation by filing for a personal injury lawsuit through the help of a New Bedford construction accident lawyer. The lawyer will help you to prove liability by:
- Proving the defendant owed you a duty of care
- They breached the duty of care
- The breach led to an accident that caused you injury and impacted your life.
Contact Kevin P Landry Law Offices today at 508-999-0800 to schedule your free initial consultation.
