Florida roadways are known to be some of the most dangerous in the United States. A combination of tourists and visitors, severe weather, and high speeds can make for treacherous driving. The situation is amplified by the semmingly ever-present construction along so many of our highways and byways. A Florida highway construction work zone can be challenging for motorists to negotiate – and dangerous for construction crews.
Drivers making lane changes, driving too quickly, or hitting safety barriers often result in serious accidents and fatalities. The problem is compounded with large construction equipment which is sometimes operated in a negligent or dangerous manner. Those injured in construction work zone accidents or victims of other negligent driving situations should seek legal representation to recover damages and compensation.
Construction Work Zone Awareness
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) established National Work Zone Awareness Week a decade ago, an effort to promote awareness of the risks both motorists and construction workers face in work zone regions. According to statewide crash data collected between 2015 and 2019, Florida experienced over 50,000 construction work zone related accidents, including 380 fatalities and more than 2,400 severe injuries.
Fast Facts: According to federal statistics, Florida is second only to Texas in the number of roadwork related injuries and fatalities annually.
In the latest year statistics were available federally (2019):
- Cars were involved in 346 fatal work-zone accidents
- Trucks were involved in 247 fatal work-zone accidents
- Buses were involved in 3 fatal work zone crashes.
- 135 construction workers were killed, and 707 motorist, passengers or pedestrians were killed.
Florida Construction Zone Safety Rules
Florida state and municipal agencies, as well as private contractors and maintenance companies, are responsible for ensuring that construction zones are designed carefully and maintained with safety in mind. The established guidelines covered rules for setting up work zone signs, barricades, flagging, and other safety protocols.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) also has implemented a Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program in order to minimize speeds through construction work zones. The program is to be implemented when the work zone consists of multiple lanes, has a posted speed of 55 or greater, requires a lane closure, and has workers present.
Have You Been Injured in a Work Zone?
Many people assume that a work-zone accident is the fault of the motorist, but there are many variables which may have led to a dangerous driving environment. For instance, the accident may have been affected by:
- improperly installed temporary lane markings
- inadequate warning signs of the work zone
- improperly positioned or missing barriers
- construction equipment blocking lanes
- road debris from the construction project
- dangerous road surface defects
- inadequate line of sight
- other improper road maintenance.
Therefore a work zone accident could be the fault of the work crew, the construction company, the road conditions, or the motorist passing through – or a combination of those elements. If you have been injured in a work zone construction accident, it is important to seek the counsel of a personal injury attorney. The accident investigation is likely to be complex and difficult to untangle. Therefore, you will want to determine who was at fault, and who you can seek compensation and damages from. You may also have some partial fault in the accident, so representation is paramount.
Probinsky & Cole are personal injury attorneys with offices in Sarasota, Tampa and Orlando. If you have been involved in an accident involving serious injury or death, call us today to discuss your situation. We are here to help.
