Sacramento has some of the worst traffic in the state of California. Heavily-traveled roads experience a lot of wear and tear and, in turn, need a lot of repairs. City officials also strive to make infrastructure improvements to improve the flow of traffic in and throughout the state’s capital. Road construction work zones are often necessary to achieve these goals. While the city attempts to minimize disruptions to traffic while road work is done, they’re an all-too-common cause of car accidents.
Work zones are particularly dangerous when motorists don’t slow down, ignore safe merging practices, or refuse to move over. If you’ve been involved in a work zone car crash in Sacramento, don’t hesitate to contact the award-winning legal team at Singleton Schreiber. You may have the ability to seek compensation from a negligent motorist, the city of Sacramento, or another liable party. Our Sacramento car accident lawyers can help you fight for every cent you deserve.
Crash victims in Sacramento turn to Singleton Schreiber after devastating collisions because we’re trustworthy litigators with a billion-dollar track record of success. That’s right - we’re fearless advocates who’ve won over $3 Billion for clients like you.
Discover how hiring our personal injury law firm in Sacramento, California, can set you up for a life-changing financial recovery, too. Call our Sacramento law office to schedule a free consultation today.
How Common Are Work Zone Car Accidents?
According to federal crash data, roughly 96,000 work zone car accidents were reported across the country in 2022. As a result of these accidents, 37,000 people were injured, while at least 891 people were killed. Commercial vehicles were involved in at least 34.3 percent of all fatal work zone traffic accidents.
While this represented a 7.5 percent decrease in work zone accident fatalities from the year prior, it still reflects an average of 2.4 work zone accident deaths every day.
Drivers and passengers account for most work zone crash fatalities, comprising 83.2 percent of all deaths. Of course, construction work zones also put bicyclists and pedestrians in harm’s way, often because sidewalks and dedicated bicycle infrastructure are interrupted. In 2022, 145 bicyclists and pedestrians lost their lives in work zone traffic accidents.
California, in particular, sees a high rate of work zone car accidents. In 2022, there were 117 work zone deaths in the Golden State, which accounted for 13 percent of all work zone fatalities in the United States that year. Since 2017, the number of fatal work zone car accidents in the state of California has more than doubled.
What Types of Car Accidents Usually Happen at Sacramento Work Zones?
While any type of car accident can happen in a Sacramento work zone, some of the most common include:
Head On Collisions
Head-on collisions can happen if a driver attempts to bypass a work zone by driving on the wrong side of the road. As vehicles approach from the other direction, they might have nowhere to go to prevent a frontal crash.
Sideswipes
Sideswipes are common in work zones, especially when drivers refuse to use the “zipper” technique when merging with other lanes of traffic or fail to check their blind spots before changing lanes because they’re distracted.
Rear-End Collisions
Federal crash data indicates that about 21 percent of all fatal work zone car accidents are classified as rear-end collisions. Rear-end collisions tend to happen when drivers speed through work zones, check their cell phones rather than pay attention to changing traffic, refuse to allow vehicles to merge into traffic, make errors when braking, or follow the vehicle in front of them too closely.
How Often Does Speeding Contribute to Work Zone Car Accidents?
Work zones change the flow of traffic. Many times, work zones require a reduction in the number of lanes that are available to motorists. While speeding is always dangerous, it significantly increases the risk of accidents and fatalities in a work zone.
In fact, speeding is a factor in more than one-third of all work zone car accident fatalities. In 2021, at least 281 deaths can be linked to speed-related work zone auto accidents.
Speeding is particularly dangerous in work zones because traffic is often heavily congested, which doesn’t leave much time or space for drivers to hit the brakes and adjust to changes in traffic patterns. Drivers have even less time to react and stop when they’re speeding.
Why Should I Hire a Car Accident Attorney After a Work Zone Crash in Sacramento?
When you’re injured in a work zone crash because another motorist isn’t being careful enough, you have the right to take action and hold them accountable. However, dealing with their insurance company, as is required under California’s fault-based insurance system, won’t be easy. The insurance adjuster will search for any reason to deny your claim or, if that’s not possible, significantly limit your financial award.
Working with an experienced Sacramento car accident lawyer at Singleton Schreiber can improve the odds of recovering the compensation you’ll need to pay for costly medical care, make up for wages you lose during your recovery, and help you cope with the pain and suffering associated with the crash. If you’ve lost a loved one, an attorney can help you seek justice through a wrongful death claim, which can also help you obtain much-needed compensation during a difficult time in your life.
Singleton Schreiber is home to award-winning California trial attorneys with decades of experience. We’ve helped our clients recover billions in monetary awards by taking a detailed, client-oriented approach to litigation.
You can expect us to:
- Investigate your work zone crash
- Gather evidence to establish liability and prove your losses
- Bring in expert witnesses to strengthen your legal claim
- Handle all administrative elements of your claim
- Provide legal advice and support so that you can make informed decisions about how to resolve your claim
- Force the at-fault party to choose between making you a life-changing settlement offer or risk going up against our nationally acclaimed trail attorneys in court
You have a limited time to file a claim for damages after a work zone car crash in Sacramento, especially if a government body bears responsibility. Protect your rights and set yourself up for success by calling our Sacramento law office for help today. Your first consultation is free.
