See those flashing, yellow lights up ahead of you on the highway?  That means that the road is under construction and you need to be very cautious as you travel through that stretch of road.

What we do not think about is how many wrongful deaths occur to construction workers because of unsafe and dangerous conditions in construction zones.  That is what led to two teenagers’ wrongful deaths while working construction on I-75 in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Two wrongful death lawsuits have been filed by the families of the young workers, each seeking $5 million in damages.

Our pedestrian accident attorneys know from experience that any time that you put an object or alteration in the road has the potential to veer a car or a truck off its course and into the way of those who are not traveling in a vehicle.  A lot of the times, injured pedestrians are left with permanent physical disabilities from work zone accidents, that is, if they do not lose their lives.

Such is the tragic case of the Tennessee teens — Jeffery Brian Thompson II, 19, and Cheyenne Dakota Burke, 18 – when a pick-up truck accident turned deadly.  The pick-up truck swerved off a road that was under construction and fatally struck the workers – killing them instantly.

The saddest part of this case: aside from dying at such an early age, this accident could have been avoided if not for the careless actions on the part of a motorist.

The truck was driven by 50-year-old James R. Hatfield.  The wrongful death lawsuits claim that Mr. Hatfield was careless and irresponsible behind the wheel – both speeding and driving his Ford F350 truck recklessly.  All in all, he violated several state laws that were set up to protect construction workers – from entering a restricted access zone and passing where it was specifically marked not to do so.

If you asked our pedestrian accident attorneys for their opinion, they’d say that these construction zone car accidents are as preventable as DUI accidents.  All that motorists have to do is slow down, obey the temporary signs for where to go and where to not go and be aware of pedestrian construction workers — who are not protected by the structure of a car.

Most of the time, motorists die in car accidents that happen in construction zones on the highway and in the streets, but we must not forget about the men and women who are working a dangerous job when most of us are just driving to our place of business.  So be extra careful when on the road and extra careful when going through work zones.  You don’t want to cause the wrongful death of someone just doing their job.

If you were injured and believe that you deserve compensation, then call our bilingual law offices right away at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you.  We look forward to providing good advice for your case.  There is no fee if no recovery.

About Michael Pines

Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who specializes in car accident injury. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes on how insurance companies work and how they decided to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael's inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents.