State Department of Transportation Worker (Laborer) Dies After Being Struck by Motor Vehicle

On October 25, 2000, a 34-year-old State Department of Transportation worker (the victim) died after he was struck by a motor vehicle while working in a highway construction zone. The victim and coworkers had been preparing the work area, located just beyond a gently curved section of two-lane asphalt-surfaced state highway, for a trench excavation the following day. After installing temporary traffic control signs and marking the pavement for excavation, the crew was preparing to leave the area. The victim was sweeping spillage near the crew’s work vehicle, parked on the shoulder near the roadway’s northbound lane, when a northbound motorist veered off the roadway and struck the driver’s side rear corner of the work vehicle. The motorist continued traveling north, scraping the entire side of the work vehicle and striking the victim, before coming to a stop in a roadside ditch. At the time of the collision, none of the crew members were looking toward the victim, however, they all heard the sound, turned toward the victim, and immediately went to his aid. Emergency personnel were notified via 911 and responded within 5 minutes. However, the victim died within minutes of the collision. NIOSH investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, departments of transportation should:

• consider the use of supplemental traffic control devices in addition to the minimum specified by the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) during highway construction work
• consider installing rumble strips along the roadway pavement edges to warn motorists when their vehicle is approaching the shoulder.