• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Logo

Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

Library of Resources to Improve Roadway Work Zone Safety for All Roadway Users

  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
  • X
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Work Zone Data
    • At a Glance
    • National & State Traffic Data
    • Work Zone Traffic Crash Trends and Statistics
    • Worker Fatalities and Injuries at Road Construction Sites
  • Topics of Interest
    • Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety
    • Smart Work Zones
    • Work Zone Safety and MobilityTransportation Management Plans
    • Accommodating Pedestrians
    • Worker Safety and Welfare
    • Project Coordination in Work Zones
  • Training
    • Flagger
    • Online Courses
    • Toolboxes
    • FHWA Safety Grant Products
    • Certification and
      Accreditation
  • Work Zone Devices
  • Laws, Standards & Policies
  • Public Awareness
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact
  • Search
Publication

Roadside Responder Is Struck by a Box Truck and Dies

Abstract:

On a winter day, a 53-year-old retired fire chief was working for an environmental company to clean up a tractor trailer crash along an interstate. A semi tractor-trailer driver had fallen asleep and crashed. The environmental company had been deployed to assist in the cleanup and facilitate a lane closure. The cleanup was almost complete and there were five workers left at the incident site. They were working in the right lane loading a tag-along trailer with items from the crash when a box truck crashed into the work zone, striking the worker, and killing him.

To prevent future occurrences of similar incidents, the following recommendations have been made:

Recommendation No. 1: Companies should provide new and refresher commercial driver safety training for company drivers that addresses driver distraction and includes defensive driving techniques.

Recommendation No. 2: Companies should institute errant traffic alert procedures for roadside work zones.

Recommendation No. 3: Commercial tractor-trailer drivers should be trained to recognize signs of fatigue and when to seek appropriate rest areas.

Publisher: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Publication Date: 2012
Full Text URL: Link to URL
Publication Types: Books, Reports, Papers, and Research Articles
Topics: Crash Causes; Crash Investigation; Crash Reports; Hazards; Prevention; Worker Safety

Copyright © 2025 American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is a project of the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation. It is operated in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Texas A&M Transportation Institute. | Copyright Statement · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer
American Road and Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation, American Road and Transportation Builders Association U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Texas A&M Transportation Institute