In addition to all of the other hazards that construction workers face, those who work on Missouri’s roadways are also at risk of being injured by a passing motorist. Each year, several road construction workers are seriously injured or killed when vehicles on the roadways strike them. Recently a flagman at a road construction site was killed in a trash truck accident.
Construction is being done on northbound Highway 13, which requires flagmen to direct the flow of traffic through the area. The flagman who was killed was controlling traffic in the southbound lane at the time of the accident. The crash consisted of four vehicles, including the trash truck.
According to preliminary reports from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the victim stopped the traffic in the southbound lane. The trash truck failed to stop and rammed into the back of a stopped vehicle. That vehicle then struck another vehicle. Meanwhile, the truck had veered off the road, and when the driver attempted to get back onto the highway, the vehicle struck the flagman and a fourth vehicle.
The occupants of the three vehicles that were hit suffered injures that ranged from minor to moderate. At last report, the accident was being reconstructed, and the findings will be given to the county to determine what charges, if any, might be filed. In the meantime, the family of the victim is undoubtedly incurring unexpected expenses and damages due to the death of their loved one.
The victim’s surviving family members may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits to help with the financial losses incurred as a result of this tragic truck accident. However, they also retain the right to file a third-party wrongful death claim against the driver of the trash truck and that person’s employer. If negligence is successfully proved, the family could receive damages to supplement any benefits.
Source: komu.com, “Construction flagman killed in northwest Missouri accident“, Nov. 12, 2015
