Fiery fatal crash highlights risks in construction zones
By Dug Begley on April 8, 2014 at 1:15 PM
A fatal 18-wheeler wreck closed eastbound U.S. 290 near Barker Cypress Tuesday. The driver of the truck transporting apples was killed after a fire, and a passenger was ejected. (Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle)
The truck crash Tuesday morning that killed a driver and closed the eastbound freeway during the morning commute came as transportation officials and contractors urge people to slow down and take extra precautions in work zones.
The driver apparently struck a concrete barrier when the truck veered out of the normal traveling lanes, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. It's a sorrowful reminder that 84 percent of people killed in work zone crashes are drivers. Last year, in Texas Department of Transportation work zones, 17,266 crashes led to 3,522 serious injuries and 115 fatalities.
This week is National Work Zone Awareness Week, and officials in the transportation and construction industry are focusing on making sure drivers, including those behind the wheel of commercial trucks, take care in cone zones.
"In 2012, 132 fatal crashes occurred in work zones involving large trucks and buses," said Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "With every driver being alert and focused on safety at all times, crashes can be avoided and lives will be saved."
In a national survey, Associated General Contractors of America, a trade group, found 45 percent of highway work zones had at least one crash.
"There is little margin for error when you work within a few inches of thousands of fast-moving vehicles," said Tom Case, senior vice president of Watsonville, Calif.-based Granite Construction, in a news release. "As the data makes clear, not enough drivers are slowing down and staying alert near work sites."
In Texas, 96 percent of contractors who responded to the study said they feel the risk of motor vehicle crashes is greater now than a decade ago.
Dug Begley