Does summer road construction increase the risk of car accidents?

For many, summer months mean road trips to nearby outdoor destinations like the beach, campgrounds, amusement parks or other favorite spots. Summer months also present an opportunity for road construction workers to repair the toll that winter months have taken on the state’s roads and highways. Crews must also attend to summer needs like mowing grass to keep shoulder areas on highways navigable.

Unfortunately, a recent story reminds us that the mix of increased summer traffic and road construction workers may be a recipe for personal injury or wrongful death incidents. According to reports, a Maryland Transportation Authority worker who was mowing a section of the shoulder along I-95 on a recent afternoon was fatally struck by a driver in an SUV. Responding authorities pronounced the worker dead at the scene. The SUV driver survived the impact but was taken to a local medical center for inspection.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. However, the worker’s surviving loved ones and friends will likely have questions about whether the SUV driver may have been negligent or distracted. In particular, authorities are investigating why the SUV driver ventured off the highway and onto the shoulder. If driver error is determined to be the cause, the worker’s surviving family may benefit from a consultation with a law firm that handles fatal car accident claims.

By filing a civil lawsuit, the surviving family can have the issue of the SUV driver’s negligence determined in a court of law. A lawsuit can also be the means by which survivors can request compensation for damages such as loss of companionship, pain and suffering, and lost wages and financial hardship. Our law firm understands that a wrongful death claim represents much more than just compensation, yet the legal strategy must remain top-notch in order to help surviving loved ones pick up the pieces.

Source: Baltimore Sun, “Worker from Abingdon killed along I-95 near Havre de Grace Thursday,” Bryna Zumer, May 28, 2015