Highways and other high-traffic roadway areas are often under construction, especially during the warmer months. To increase safety and decrease the likelihood of an accident, construction zones are regulated by specific rules and regulations. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices requires the use of safety features like signs, orange barrels, cones, and workers to direct traffic. Yet despite these safety precautions, construction zones remain one of the most dangerous places to drive.

Between 2018 and 2019, while the number of fatal crashes that occur outside work zones decreased by 2% nationally, fatal crashes in work zones increased by 11%.

If you were injured or someone you love was killed in a car accident in a construction zone, the experienced attorneys at Robenalt Law can help.

Work Zone Warnings Are Intended to Increase Safety

Construction zones are filled with orange barrels, workers in neon vests, and signs warning drivers to reduce their speed and be on the lookout. These safety features are intended to make the roadways safer and decrease the likelihood of a car accident.

To ensure safety, construction managers must carefully plan and abide by the requirements in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. This includes the use of warning signs, pavement markings, and other devices to notify drivers that they are approaching a construction zone and guide them through it safely. Construction managers must also account for emergency situations, barriers to prevent vehicles from running off the road, and disabled vehicles. But human error, confusing signage, poor road design, and unsafe driving all increase the chances of someone being injured in an accident in a work zone.

Common Causes of Accidents in a Construction Zone

Of course, roadwork is necessary to keep highways properly maintained, repaired, and in good working order. But hazards like misplaced or fallen down signs, cones that were knocked over, road debris, machinery blocking the road, or poor lighting can make travel hazardous and can lead to a catastrophic or even fatal accident.

Common causes of construction zone accidents include:

• Distracting traffic patterns
• Confusing signs
• Improperly placed signs
• Gravel or other debris on the roadway
• Hazards caused by equipment problems
• Improper speed limit postings
• Weak or insufficient barriers or guardrails
• Standing water that hides lanes

Any of these factors can distract a driver and result in a car accident. If you were involved in a car accident in a construction zone, the way the zone was set up may have been a factor in causing the accident. If the construction company and its crew failed to properly manage the construction zone, they may be liable for injuries a driver sustains in a car accident.

Robenalt Law: Justice for People Injured in a Car Accident

If you were injured or someone you love was killed in a car accident in a construction zone, you and your family may be entitled to compensation. While the driver who hit you may have been negligent, the manager of the construction zone could also be responsible. An experienced accident injury lawyer can evaluate factors that caused the accident, including:

• Sign placement
• Missing or knocked over cones or barrels
• How workers were directing traffic
• Hazardous road conditions
• Speed limits
• Barriers and guardrails

Safely directing people through a construction zone is an important responsibility, and construction managers must ensure that they are clearly marked to make them as safe as possible. While significant effort has been made to make them safer, drivers involved in an accident in a construction zone can still suffer serious injuries.

If you were injured or someone you love was killed in a construction zone car accident, you need an experienced attorney on your side. The experienced lawyers at Robenalt Law can analyze your case and fight for the compensation that you and your family deserve.

Learn more about how our lawyers fight for justice on behalf of people who were injured or killed in a car or truck accident and get answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Based in Westlake, Ohio, we invite you to contact us today to schedule a free, confidential consultation to discuss your case and how we can help.