Road construction accident season begins in Illinois
On behalf of Jeffrey Frederick of Frederick & Hagle posted in Construction Workers’ Accidents on Thursday, April 17, 2014.
The Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Police took part in National Work Zone Awareness Week. As the weather gets warmer, more people are out on the roads and more road construction takes place. The probability of a road construction accident happening also rises during this time.
The Illinois State Police and IDOT are urging drivers to slow down and pay attention — especially in work zones. Many of the accidents that occur in road construction sites are due to inattentive drivers. More signage will be placed at work zones this year in an attempt to give drivers more warning that they are approaching a site and to pay closer attention.
In 2013, 29 workers died while working on the state’s roads, and another 1,000 injuries occurred. No one wants to tell a family they have lost a loved one. No matter how many safety measures workers take, drivers need to do their part as well.
Drivers are warned that troopers will be zealously enforcing traffic laws in work zones. Many people will slow down if they see a police cruiser, but not all troopers will be in uniform or in patrol cars. Officers will be dressed as construction workers to monitor drivers as they go through road construction sites. When they see violators, they will radio ahead to a trooper waiting to give out tickets.
The hope is that these efforts will reduce the number of construction accident injuries and deaths that occur on our state’s roads. Unfortunately, they may not be able to eliminate all accidents. When a worker is hurt or killed on-the-job, workers’ compensation benefits are available to help with medical costs and lost wages. Should a worker lose his or her life, that person’s family may also be eligible for benefits that can ease the financial burdens associated with their loss.
Source: centralillinoisproud.com, “National Work Zone Awareness Week Begins“, , April 7, 2014
