Like other states, Pennsylvania sees more than its fair share of workplace accidents involving motorists. Usually, these accidents impact road maintenance and road construction workers, who must perform their jobs on the state’s busy roads. Last month, at least one road worker suffered injuries in a motorist involved accident, and now yet another of these workers has been injured.
This latest incident occurred last week north of Montrose on State Route 29. Reportedly, a flagger for a private contractor was hit by a motor vehicle, resulting in unknown injuries. The news indicates that the driver of a Ford Escape did not stop for the flagger, crashing into the worker instead. The flagger was taken by helicopter to a medical facility and was listed in critical condition as of Monday, Nov. 9.
The accident caused the closure of State Route 29 for more than four hours. Both the Pennsylvania State Police and Montrose’s United Fire Company responded to the scene of the accident. The police are still embroiled in an ongoing investigation into the accident.
Pennsylvania law has addressed the issue of road worker safety by enacting the Work Zone Safety Law, which imposes severe penalties for violations. However, these accidents continue to occur despite the law. One way road workers can fight back is by calling these accidents to the attention of the public, even if they receive only minor injuries.
In the meantime, a personal injury attorney serving Pennsylvania residents can help the victims of workplace accidents pursue a third-party lawsuit. Such a lawsuit can support workers’ compensation benefits as the victim recovers from his or her injuries.
Source: The Susquehanna Independent Weekender, “Flagger hit by vehicle,” Staci Wilson, Nov. 11, 2015