Road construction work takes place continually throughout North Carolina and Virginia. Road crews are constantly building new roads, expanding existing roads, modifying current roads, and making repairs. Road work also includes building bridges, installing lights, repairing trees, and laying sewer lines. Every time roadwork takes place along the federal, state, or local highways \u2013 there’s a danger that the workers can be injured or killed.<\/p>\n
According to the Federal Highway Administration<\/a>, from 1982 through 2019, more than 28,000 people lost their lives in work zone crashes.<\/p>\n The survivors of roadwork are likely to suffer severe injuries if they:<\/p>\n The danger of being struck a vehicle is a constant concern. Construction sites need to warn the public that there is roadwork ahead. Drivers should be diverted away from the road work in plenty of time and with plenty of distance to avoid coming close to the road work. The supervisors at the construction site should ensure that employees don’t come into contact with construction trucks, bulldozers, cranes, and other road work vehicles. Many roadwork accidents happen when construction vehicles are backing up.<\/p>\n First, it is important to remember that fault is generally not an issue when filing for worker’s compensation. Employees do not need to show an employer was negligent, failed to comply with any regulations, or was careless in any way. Generally, employees can file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits \u2013 even if the injured worker was responsible for the accident \u2013 provided the injured worker’s conduct was not intentional. There may be issues with Safety Rule violations, but that is a subject for another article. Be on the lookout for an upcoming video on the effect of employee violations of established, written safety rules.<\/p>\n Road work is governed by federal agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the US Department of Transportation, and state departments of transportation. There are also industry standards that govern how each type of roadwork should be completed to best protect the workers. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some of the factors<\/a> that public and private road construction companies should consider to better protect their workers include:<\/p>\n Vehicle accidents near and at work zones may also be caused by distracted drivers, drivers who are intoxicated, drivers who violate the local traffic laws (speed, pass improperly, merge improperly, and for many other reasons), drivers who drive too fast for traffic conditions, and drivers who drive too fast for weather conditions.<\/p>\n If you are injured while working on a road construction job, you need to inform your supervisor promptly that an accident occurred. You should seek treatment at a local emergency room or with your family doctor as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n Workers who are struck by a vehicle, injured by a piece of equipment, or hurt in any other way may suffer:<\/p>\n Many injuries from road work often require surgeries, doctor visits, and\/or rehabilitation care. Employees who are injured while doing road work can generally claim the following benefits:<\/p>\n Why does the workers comp carrier have these rights? Essentially to prevent a “double recovery” of benefits from both the 3rd<\/sup> Party Insurance company and the Workers Comp Insurance company.<\/p>\n At Joe Miller Law Ltd., our North Carolina and Virginia workers’ compensation lawyer has helped thousands of injured employees obtain strong recoveries. We work with your physicians and our own network of doctors to verify the type of injury you have, the severity, and what medical care you need. Injured road workers or the families of loved ones who died due to a work zone accident, should call attorney Joe Miller, Esq., at 888-667-8295<\/b> or use my online contact form<\/a> to schedule an appointment.<\/p>\n Our firm currently uses remote services for clients who prefer to speak with us from home. To use our remote services, please look at our New Electronic Case Review<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Road construction work takes place continually throughout North Carolina and Virginia. Road crews are constantly building new roads, expanding existing roads, modifying current roads, and making repairs. Road work also includes building bridges, installing lights, repairing trees, and laying sewer lines. Every time roadwork takes place along the federal, state, or local highways \u2013 there’s … <\/p>\nWhat are the different types of work zone accidents?<\/h3>\n
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Why do road construction accidents happen in North Carolina and Virginia?<\/h3>\n
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What types of injuries do North Carolina and Virginia road work workers suffer?<\/h3>\n
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What workers’ compensation benefits can road workers claim?<\/h3>\n
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