When Injuries Happen on the Job, Know Your Rights
This year’s “orange barrel season” here in Northeast Ohio was a busy one. From highways and main thoroughfares to side streets, it seemed like those dreaded barrels appeared at nearly every turn.
Northeast Ohio isn’t alone in this regard. According to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse (NWZSIC), approximately 20% of our nation’s highway system is under construction during peak construction season, with more than 3,000 work zones. Approximately 12 billion vehicle miles of travel a year will be through active work zones. Motorists can expect to encounter an active work zone 1 out of every 100 miles driven on the nation’s highway system.
While road construction can cause delays and headaches for motorists, it’s necessary to keep our infrastructure safe and efficient. Yet road construction-related accidents are an all-too-frequent occurrence—here in Northeast Ohio and elsewhere. According to NWZSIC, more than 40,000 people are injured each year as a result of crashes in work zones. There is one work zone injury every nine minutes—and 160 per day. Tragically, one work zone fatality occurs every eight hours—and three per day.
Obviously, highway, road, street, bridge, tunnel and utility construction is a dangerous business. Workers literally put their lives on the line every time they enter an active work zone. These workers are exposed to hazards from outside and inside the work zone, including, but not limited to falls, electrical mishaps, “struck-by” incidents, and “caught-between” accidents. Any one of these incidents can lead to a serious workplace injury.
While posted signs clearly warn drivers to drive cautiously in work zones, motor vehicle laws are often broken, leading to accidents, injuries and even fatalities. More often than not, road construction workers are the victims in such accidents.
Road construction workers are also vulnerable to accidents that occur as a result of others’ negligence within the work zone, as well as faulty equipment.
Whatever the cause, the legal proceedings for such accidents can be complicated. It takes an experienced road construction injury attorney to help you with challenging cases like these.
No Cost Evaluation
If you as a road construction worker have been injured in a road construction work zone as a result of the potential negligence of motorists or other individuals, or if a loved one or friend has been killed as a result of a construction work zone accident, your rights are at stake—you need to seek immediate legal advice. At Nager, Romaine & Schneiberg Co., L.P.A., our personal injury and workers’ compensation attorneys may be able to help you pursue compensation for the pain and suffering that you have been forced to endure. The experienced personal injury and workers’ compensation lawyers of NRS have handled a variety of road construction injury cases over many years; we fight side by side with injured victims to make sure they and their families receive compensation for negligence that caused them to be hurt. We will aggressively pursue your case and work to help you obtain the medical care and compensation you need to rebuild your life.
In the event you or a loved one has suffered a road construction work zone accident, contact the workers’ compensation attorneys at NRS Injury Law by filling out our No-Risk Consultation form, or call (855) GOT-HURT and speak with one of our trained staff members.
