Car Accidents During Road Construction

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Typically, an Alabama driver has a greater than one-in-three chance of being involved in a serious car accident over their lifetime. Safe Alabama reported that in 2019, there were more than 159,000 crashes in our state that took the lives of 930 people.

Among those crashes, 19 fatalities and 589 injury crashes occurred at work zones, according to 2019 Alabama Crash Facts. Ranging from minor fender benders to the wreckage of both cars and the lives inside them, you want to avoid a car accident at all costs.

From significant injuries that may take months or years to heal to traumatic brain injury from which you may never recover, added to the property damage to your car, it is not worth the few minutes you may gain by speeding through a construction zone.

Generally, there are two parties involved in a car accident, but because of the chaos at a roadway work zone, your personal injury attorney, Chip Nix, Attorney at Law, will investigate whether there might be a third party that contributed to your collision at a roadway construction site.

Third Party Liability

Interestingly, the Alabama Interstate System represents 25% of the traffic and 11% of fatalities, even though it accounts for only 1% of the state’s total mileage.

We know that a large percentage of Alabama roads and major highways are rated in poor condition and need maintenance throughout the extensive network.

Road conditions that may need improvement include:

  • Potholes
  • Poor lighting
  • Too few lanes
  • Insufficient road markings
  • Poor road design
  • Lack of rumble strips
  • Uneven road surface
  • Decreased visibility

According to state statistics, speeding, alcohol use, and not wearing a seat belt are the top three events most likely to lead to highway injuries when a road is under construction. Rear-end collisions are the leading type of crash at a construction site. That indicates the driver may not be paying attention.

If the roadway has been torn up, it may well be temporarily routed with signage and a new road. Traveling at your usual high speed through the area under construction will not give you the time you need to navigate the changes safely.

Trucks entering and leaving the construction zone pose a risk to drivers passing through the area, as does heavy machinery and an uneven road surface.

Those responsible for accidents on the road under construction may include:

  • The contractor for the road project
  • Workers responsible for alerting drivers to the new route
  • The designer of the poorly constructed road
  • The entity responsible for the barricades and signs
  • A construction subcontractor entering or leaving the site

Road Construction Responsibility

Standards for road construction are established by the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. If the design or construction fails to follow the specifications, the injured accident victim may have a viable claim against the builder.

Alabama strictly follows sovereign immunity or state immunity, meaning that claims against the state are barred; however, the injured could file a negligence claim against a contractor working at the site if he is the at-fault party and his negligence led to your injuries.

Car Accident Fault

Drivers always need to slow down when traveling through a highway work zone, and there may be extra fines applied for speeding in a work zone.

Ultimately it will be up to the police and insurance adjusters to determine the fault in an Alabama car accident. Our investigation will focus on finding the at-fault negligent driver from whom we will seek compensation.


Your Alabama Car Accident Attorney

Attorney Chip Nix understands that work zones present a particular danger to drivers, and he is prepared to launch a thorough investigation into the cause of your car accident to determine the at-fault party.

Whether we take your case to trial or negotiate with the insurance company for the other side, Mr. Nix has helped many Alabama families navigate this difficult time with his knowledge of the legal process and the fault a third party can contribute to a car accident.

Consult with attorney Chip Nix about the maximum compensation you may receive from his skilled representation following your construction zone car accident. Call for a complimentary consultation at 334-203-6669 to begin the conversation.

Sources:

Alabama Crash Facts
https://www.dot.state.al.us/publications/Design/pdf/safetyPlanning/2019FactsBook.pdf

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