Earlier this year, the top of a semi-truck smashed into a scaffold in a road construction accident. Photos from the accident show the top of the truck peeled away like the top of a sardine can when the truck struck the platform. Two of the four workers on the platform at the time of the incident were injured, one with catastrophic injuries sustained when he fell off the platform and barely missed oncoming highway traffic.
When the construction manager spoke to Nashville News Channel 5, he stressed to drivers to pay attention to their surroundings. “When you see blue lights flashing and you see construction equipment and people out there, keep an eye out.”
HOW DRIVERS CAN HELP KEEP ROAD CONSTRUCTION WORKERS SAFE
Let’s face it. Roads don’t last forever and with Nashville’s population increasing, changes must be made to highway infrastructure. That said, road construction crews take on a necessary risk when they go to work to make the roads safer for us. However, drivers pose a huge hazard to these workers by doing the following:
- Speeding, which is the number one cause of injury and deaths in highway road construction zones
- Distracted drivers who are taking calls and texting, rather than paying attention to construction signs
- Drivers do not drive defensively within work zones and do not merge properly, which can result in their car entering a work zone
- Impatient drivers tend to ignore road construction signs
- Semi-trucks ignore height restriction around scaffold and cranes
When drivers see the orange cones and orange-clad workers in a construction zone, they need to proceed with caution. Road construction workers are putting themselves at the mercy of Tennessee drivers to ensure we have safe roads to drive on. Given that, drivers should do all they can to protect them by complying with all signs posted, reducing their speed and staying alert.
Stanley A. Davis is a Nashville personal injury attorney who fights for victims who have been injured in a road construction accident.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11