Construction accident puts 1 worker in hospital, kills 1 other
On behalf of Jeffrey Frederick of Frederick & Hagle posted in Construction Workers’ Accidents on Thursday, January 14, 2016.
Well-maintained roads are an essential aspect of the road networks that keep the economy and daily life flowing in the state of Illinois. In order to keep roads up to par, construction crews must often work alongside vehicles that continue to travel at high rates of speed despite cautionary signs indicating ongoing construction. The dangers of this environment were recently realized in an out-of-state construction accident that injured one worker and left another dead.
The northbound right-hand lane on a stretch of an Interstate highway had been closed off for ongoing construction during the daytime hours. As the work day rolled to an end, two workers were tasked with reopening the lane for public use. As the two removed one of the signs indicating the lane closure, an oncoming vehicle slammed into the men.
Although the driver who caused the wreck was evaluated at the hospital for purely precautionary reasons, he did not suffer any injuries in the wreck. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the workers. One of the men suffered fatal injuries while the other was severely injured and had to be transported to an area hospital for treatment. His condition was not made clear by hospital officials.
Those in the construction industry have a lot to lose when they are seriously injured in a construction accident. Workers in this industry often have specific talents that they have spent years working on and perfecting, all of which can be erased by a single injury. Workers’ compensation benefits can be a lifeline for workers in Illinois who have suffered serious injuries on the job that then prevent them from returning to work, and their value is perhaps even more profound for the families who receive death benefits after losing a loved one.
Source: gadsdentimes.com, “Road worker killed on I-59; second worker injured“, Jan. 7, 2016
