IDOT employee injured on the job by reckless driver
On behalf of Jeffrey Frederick of Frederick & Hagle posted in Industrial Workers’ Accidents on Thursday, February 18, 2016.
The Illinois Department of Transportation — IDOT — provides important services in the wake of a crash, including traffic control in order to prevent further accidents. Unfortunately, an IDOT employee was doing just that when he was injured on the job. One other person was also injured in the secondary crash that sent both men to the hospital.
IDOT and Illinois State Police responded to the scene of a single-vehicle wreck in order to provide necessary traffic control precautions. While state police began investigating the wreck, which involved a 53-year-old driver sliding off an Interstate exit ramp and into a ditch, the IDOT employee and other officers stood along the road’s shoulder at a safe distance from the road. However, police say that a 21-year-old driver attempted to exit the Interstate at a too high rate of speed, causing her to lose control of her vehicle as she drove onto the ramp. Both the IDOT employee and the initial driver were struck.
Emergency responders transported both of the men to the hospital, where it was determined that they were suffering from serious injuries. Police are already planning to cite the second driver for her role in the accident. While authorities believe that the snow and ice covered roads probably played some type of role in the wreck, her citation for failing to reduce her speed in order to avoid a collision apparently took the road conditions into consideration. Illinois police later issued a statement cautioning drivers to practice safe habits during inclement weather.
Even when an employee takes necessary safety precautions, such as standing a safe distance from a nearby road, unpredictable accidents can still cause serious injury. When an employee is injured on the job or during the course of completing his or her work duties, the need for workers’ compensation benefits can be clear. These benefits are an invaluable lifeline for victims to hold on to as they take the necessary time to recover before returning to work.
Source: ksdk.com, “Injured IDOT worker improving “tremendously”“, Jennifer Meckles, Feb. 11, 2016
