Miami Highway Construction Accident Lawyer

Highway construction sites take all the inherent dangers of other construction sites but add in the hazard of fast vehicles. Normally, there are safety procedures in place to keep the people in the vehicles and the construction workers safe, but accidents can still happen. When they do, people can be seriously injured.

Anyone who has been injured in a highway construction accident should seek legal counsel quickly to determine if he or she can file a claim and pursue compensation for injuries. Families who have lost a loved one in such an accident may also receive damages for their loss.

Highway Construction Hazards

Highways have a multitude of hazards, as anyone who has driven them can attest. Construction sites also have many dangers, as the workers can tell. Bringing the two dangers together creates an area rife for accidents and injuries.

Some of the things that keep people safe when driving on the highway is that speeds generally remain constant and there are usually multiple lanes open to create space for cars to maneuver. However, a construction site on the highway can remove both of those elements.

The law requires vehicles to slow down when approaching and driving through a construction site, hopefully causing drivers and the personnel directing traffic to pay close attention to their surroundings or risk causing an accident. The state may close lanes of traffic, forcing vehicles into smaller spaces and congesting the highway. Either way, vehicle accidents become more likely when construction sites change a highway’s normal functioning.

Likewise, passing vehicles change the normal functioning of construction sites and make them more dangerous. Vehicles pose a danger in and of themselves to construction workers if either a worker or driver is not paying attention and there is a collision. Vehicular traffic also kicks up dust, flings debris, makes noise, and poses many other distractions for construction workers.

Laws Protecting Construction Areas

Florida, like most states, has a law in place to prevent vehicle accidents in construction zones. This law doubles the fines for speeding violations in work zones. However, the law only applies when there are workers present in the site and there are posted signs warning drivers of the construction zone. The goal of this law is to convince drivers to pay extra attention to their speed and surroundings when inside of a work zone to prevent receiving a hefty fine.

Workers and Civilians

Construction workers who are injured in a job-related accident usually qualify to receive worker’s compensation. This is a special type of benefit where the company or an insurance agency pays for an injured worker’s medical expenses and lost income if he or she is injured while doing a job. Families of workers who suffer a fatal accident on the job can also receive worker’s compensation benefits. Construction workers injured by the driver of a vehicle or another third party may be able to file a “third party claim” against the person or people responsible for their suffering.

Civilians who are injured on a jobsite do not qualify for worker’s compensation, but they may file a claim for personal injury or wrongful death. Depending on the specifics of the case, a victim may file charges against one or more parties the court finds liable for the accident.

To successfully pursue a personal injury or wrongful death case to its end and receive compensation for damages, people need expert legal counsel. Florida residents can call the offices of attorney Brandon Stein and arrange for a free case review. STEINLAW always fights for our clients so that they will receive the maximum compensation they are due.