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Alleged drunk driver kills construction zone worker

On Behalf of | Aug 10, 2020 | Construction Site Accident Injuries |

Troopers in a neighboring state rushed to the site of a reported road accident in the early morning hours of a recent Saturday. Construction zone workers in Tennessee and elsewhere always risk being victims of distracted or impaired drivers. When emergency workers reached the crash scene, they realized that it was a construction zone accident. The 911 callers reported seeing an unconscious man lying in the road.

When emergency workers arrived shortly after midnight, bystanders were attempting to perform CPR on the victim. However, when paramedics took over, they determined that the victim had already succumbed to his injuries. Reportedly, the deceased man was a 23-year-old member of a road construction crew. According to a preliminary crash report, a 24-year-old woman failed to slow down as she approached the arrow board that indicated the closure of the right lane.

Instead of merging into the left lane, the driver allegedly swerved to the right to avoid crashing into the arrow board. She found herself in the construction zone, where she struck the worker. The driver had lost control of the vehicle by then and went on to smash into a construction vehicle. The impact propelled her car into the left lane, where she struck another vehicle and a semi truck.

The driver was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving, causing death. When construction zone workers die or suffer work-related injuries, they are typically eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. If a similar accident occurs in Tennessee, the surviving family members of a deceased worker may have grounds to also file a third-party wrongful death lawsuit against the alleged impaired driver. An attorney with experience in dealing with both workers’ compensation and personal injury or wrongful death claims can assess the civil claim’s viability. Legal counsel can then advocate for the plaintiffs throughout ensuing legal and administrative proceedings.

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