Construction Debris Falls, Closes Road
You don’t have to be a construction worker to be hurt on a construction site. If you have an office in a building undergoing renovations, you are at risk. If you drive on roads under construction, you are also at risk. While construction workers are most likely to be hurt in a construction accident, others can be hurt, too.
According to WIVB.com, the risk of such an accident caused Route 33 outside of Buffalo to be closed recently. The concern was falling debris from a construction site—debris that put motorists at risk of injury.
The road was closed from Humboldt Parkway to Route 198 for over an hour after debris from bridge work fell onto cars just before 8:30 p.m. Fortunately, although the falling material did cause an accident, no one was injured.
Department of Transportation officials say the material that fell was a conduit used to house wires. The 4- to 5-foot-long metal tube slipped from its location and hit a van below. The conduit damaged the windshield and led to a five-vehicle accident.
“You’re doing work at night and maybe in less than optimal conditions and for whatever reason this conduit fell beneath the surface of the bridge roadway,” said DOT Regional Construction Engineer John Kowalski.
Night construction is often used on roads throughout New York and New Jersey so workers can complete jobs without interfering with peak traffic times. But nighttime construction work obviously carries additional risks.
While huge floodlights are usually used in nighttime construction projects, these don’t guarantee an accident-free site. And, particularly in the dark, the chances of falling objects or flying debris can increase because visibility is more limited.
Although no one was hurt in this particular accident, many construction accidents have less fortunate outcomes. If you are a worker or even just passing through, you run the risk of being injured in a construction accident.
New York and New Jersey Construction Accident Attorneys
The New York and New Jersey construction accident lawyers of Ginarte work with injured parties to help obtain justice. If you were hurt in a construction accident, contact our offices today at (888) GINARTE for a free consultation.
