Drivers in New York are being alerted about more speed cameras in work zones in an attempt to crack down on reckless and speeding drivers. According to news reports, the pilot program places new speed violation monitoring systems along New York state highways in active work zones. This initiative, known as the Automated Work Zone Speed Monitoring Program, is a joint effort between the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the New York State Thruway Authority.
Increase in Fatal Accidents
The system consists of cameras mounted on 30 vehicles parked in various active highway work zones across the state. One camera is mounted on the back of each vehicle, another on the top. The cameras will snap a picture of the violator’s license plate if they go over the normal highway speed limit while in a construction zone. Violators will receive their tickets in the mail. The cameras will only be operational when work is being done.
Officials said the speed cameras are designed to prevent tragedies such as the one involving DOT highway maintenance worker Patrick Mapleson in Suffolk County. That fatal incident occurred on March 17, 2006 on Sunrise Highway when Mapleson was filling in potholes and was struck by a speeding and distracted cement truck driver. Safety advocates say the fatality rate has not substantially improved over the past decade. Transportation officials say there were 225 highway worker fatalities in 2020 and 2021. The fatality rate continued to increase in 2021 with a 14% jump in work zone fatalities involving drivers and passengers.
Tow truck drivers also face significant hazards on highways as they do their jobs. The family of Campy Santiago, a Brooklyn tow truck driver who was killed as he was assisting a disabled vehicle on the Long Island Expressway in October by a speeding driver, is also calling for better enforcement. On average, 26 tow truck drivers are killed in the United States every year, and the numbers are only increasing, officials say.
What the ‘Move Over Law’ States
New York State’s Move Over Law, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2012, protects law enforcement officers, emergency workers, tow and service vehicle operators and other maintenance workers stopped along roadways performing their duties. Under this law, drivers are required to use due care when approaching an emergency vehicle that displays red or any combination of red, white or blue emergency lighting or a hazard vehicle displaying flashing amber lighting, or a vehicle displaying blue or green lighting.
Drivers must reduce speed while approaching any such vehicle and “move from the lane immediately adjacent to the emergency or hazard vehicle, unless traffic or other hazards exist to prevent doing so safely.” New York’s Move Over Law, can result in a fine of up to $150 for a first offense. A driver with a second offense within 18 months of the first can face a fine of up to $300. A third offense within 18 months can lead to a fine of up to $450.
Compensation for Workers
Construction workers who have been injured in such accidents may be eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits, which covers medical expenses and a portion of lost wages. In addition, workers may also be able to file a third-party claim against a negligent (careless) party other than the employer or co-employees for significant monetary damages and have two sources of compensation available for their losses.
Examples of third parties include, but are not limited to, general contractors, construction companies, sub-contractors, building owners, managing agents etc. In cases where a worker dies from injuries suffered on the job, surviving family members may seek death benefits through workers’ compensation and/or file a wrongful death claim against a third party who may be held liable for the fatal incident.
Contacting a Construction Accident Lawyer
If you have suffered injuries in a construction-related accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
Our law firm recovered $3,375,576 for a construction worker (an undocumented immigrant) who was injured on the job — one of the highest construction case settlements in New York that year. Our law firm also recovered $3,000,000 for a man who fell and suffered two broken legs when he walked into an open elevator shaft. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/with-construction-season-underway-nys-launches-speed-camera-pilot-program-in-work-zones/?ftag=CNM-00-10aac3a