Five people were injured in Asheboro when a motorist failed to slow for a construction zone.
Fatalities occur each year in North Carolina road construction zones. Motorists, passengers and construction workers are in danger when traffic bottlenecks in a construction zone.
In late May, five people in four vehicles were involved in an accident on Highway 64 in Randolph County. The accident occurred as construction crew laid down reflectors. While traffic slowed, Brandie Hammer, 25, approached from the west in a 2009 Mazda. The Trinity woman was traveling with two children, a two-year old and an 18-month-old baby.
Ms. Hammer, failing to notice construction signals, rear-ended a flat-bed Isuzu truck. The force of impact set off a chain reaction that damaged the two passenger vehicles in front of the truck.
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, four out of five fatalities in construction zones are motorists. Other points about work zone accidents in North Carolina include:
- Speed and distraction cause more than half the accidents that occur in road construction zones.
- Approximately 75 percent of work zone accidents happen during daylight hours.
- In 2009, more than 1,000 people were injured and 10 killed in work zone accidents.
Ms. Hammer and her two children were among five motorists taken to the hospital. All were reported in stable condition. Ms. Hammer was charged with failing to reduce speed to avoid a collision.
During the summer season, stay alert for road construction and slowing traffic. In construction zones, watch for construction vehicles entering or exiting the highway. If injured in a vehicle accident in Durham County, seek experienced legal counsel.