This week has been Work Zone Awareness Week for people who work on road construction crews in Missouri. The goal of the event is to make people realize the dangers that road construction workers face on a daily basis. Out of all of these risks, it is the one posed by distracted drivers that is among the most serious. It is also the easiest to prevent.
When road construction workers get hit by passing cars, the injuries they sustain are often severe. Getting workers’ compensation to cover those injuries is not easy, and can often take the skills of an attorney.
Road Construction Workers Face Risky Workplace
People who work in the construction industry face a risky workplace, every day. Those who work in road construction face an additional threat: Passing cars. The result is a disturbingly high fatality rate for road workers: Every year, road construction deaths account for between 1.5% and 3% of all workplace fatalities in the country.
A significant portion of these deaths happen when passing cars strike road workers.
Risky and Distracted Driving Mostly to Blame
Most of these injuries and fatalities are caused by drivers going too fast or not paying attention when they pass through a work zone.
According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, in 2016, there were more than 1,800 crashes that resulted in an injury and involved cell phone use. 24 of those happened in work zones, where construction workers and heavy machinery are near the road, making a crash far more severe.
Work Zone Awareness Week Aims to Promote Safe Driving
The goal of the Work Zone Awareness Week in Missouri is to reduce the number of road construction workers who get hurt or killed while on the job. By reminding drivers that work zones exist and are areas that require their full attention, the Missouri Department of Transportation aims to make their employees’ workplace just a bit safer.
Hurt Construction Workers and Workers’ Compensation
If you are a road construction worker who gets hurt on the job, your ability to benefit from workers’ compensation is almost guaranteed: Missouri’s workers’ compensation law requires construction companies with more than one employee to carry workers’ compensation insurance.
However, just because your employer has to maintain workers’ compensation insurance does not mean that the process for getting the benefits you deserve will be easy. You will still have to prove the extent of your injuries to show how much compensation you deserve.
St. Joseph Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at the Smith Law Office
This is where the workers’ compensation attorneys at the Smith Law Office in St. Joseph can help. Our personal injury lawyers regularly represent clients who have been hurt on the job, and fight for their rights and interests in court. Contact us online or call our law office at (816) 875-9373 to get started on your case.