Georgia Motorcyclists Injured Around Construction Zones

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Over the years, our law firm has evaluated numerous cases where people traveling in cars and motorcycles have been seriously injured or killed in and around construction zones. Not surprisingly, motorcyclists who suffer a collision around a construction zone are typically the most severely injured.

Georgia Construction zone negligence is an area that many people, and even many trial attorneys, overlook. One reason that construction zone negligence is not recognized is because the accidents and collisions may involve only one car or motorcycle. For example, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which a standard authority for construction zone safety in Georgia, mandates that work zones be left in a safe condition for passing motorists. Construction zones where roadways are being built or re-finished often involve the use of gravel or other sediment. Too often, roadway contractors fail to remove the gravel and other sediment from the road. The result is that motorcyclists are thrown from their bikes after a tire catches the debris in the roadway. In almost every scenario we have encountered, the roadway improvement contract calls for road debris to be removed in order to prevent this type of accident.

We have also seen inappropriately constructed, or absent, “safes” bordering roadways. Safes are constructed between the roadway and a curb drop-off. If these “safes” are poorly designed or absent, a car or motorcycle’s wheels can drop from the roadway many inches below, causing the vehicle to careen out of control.

The best practice is to proceed slowly and cautiously through all construction zones. If you have a one car accident, don’t always assume that it was the driver’s fault, particularly if the wreck occurs near a construction zone.