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All drivers have experienced the irritation of lane closures and traffic delays due to workzones and road construction, but when a roadway workzone causes more than annoyance and temporary traffic backups and instead results in a serious workzone car accident in New Haven, the results can be a serious or catastrophic injury to motorists. There were 37,701 workplace accidents with injuries and 891 fatalities in the U.S. in 2022, the most recent data year. Connecticut saw four roadway accident deaths in 2022. Road construction areas often cause significant safety hazards, making it critical for both motorists and workzone crews to take all reasonable measures to avoid accidents.
Connecticut drivers must follow traffic laws, including those regulating workzone areas. Connecticut drivers have the duty to do the following:
Drivers are not the only road users with a duty to take reasonable care. Roadworkers, managers, and road construction agencies have a responsibility to avoid leaving dangerous conditions and debris or causing safety hazards to drivers. They also have a duty to place adequate signage, appropriately placed lighting, and reflectors, and to adhere to rules that regulate lane sizes, oversized vehicles, and obstacles like cones and barriers.
Workzones often include dangerous debris, heavy equipment, narrowed lanes, and uneven pavement. Common causes of accidents in workzones in New Haven include speeding, distracted driving, frequent stops and starts, and following too closely. When roadways narrow, speed limits change, and roadside construction leaves hazards and obstacles close to lanes or obstructing clear passage, the result can be a serious car accident to a motorist.
Uneven lanes, sudden reductions in speed limits, heavy equipment, and barriers cause a number of accident types to occur in road workzones, including the following:
Fatal crashes and accidents with serious injuries occur in workzones, involving both construction drivers and motorists passing through workzone areas.
Connecticut’s Department of Transportation and Public Roadworks must put proper plans in place for all roadwork projects to minimize the risk to drivers. They must also put the necessary signage and buffers in place, and carefully follow procedures to alert drivers of closed lanes, narrowed or uneven passages, changes in local traffic patterns, and reduced speed limits.
When there’s a failure in the duty to prevent causing safety hazards to motorists, a New Haven workzone accident attorney can help hold the at-fault city, county, or state agency financially accountable for damages like medical expenses, lost wages, and compensation for pain and suffering.
If you’ve had an accident in New Haven workzone area, call our New Haven car accident lawyers at Weber & Rubano to set up a free consultation so we can investigate the circumstances of the accident and take action in your case to recover the maximum compensation available.