Tragic Crash on Interstate 40 Kills Three in Statesville, North Carolina

STATESVILLE, NC- Wjbf.com writes that three people died in a collision on Interstate 40 when a truck crashed a construction site. The victims were working on the site to repair a guardrail on the road when a box truck collided with a construction vehicle pushing it into the men and crushing them.* 

The three victims were identified as a 22-year-old man from Bonaire, Georgia, and a 21-year-old man and a 20-year-old man who were both from Jessup, Georgia. The driver was a 27-year-old man from Cary. Police report that the driver is now facing charges for misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. The motorist was injured in the wreck as well. 

Construction site crashes are common and tragic. In 2018, there were 671 fatal crashes in work zones. A total of 754 people died in those incidents, and of those deaths, 228 involved trucks. The victims were people working on-site in 124 of the wrecks. When it comes to preventing these crashes, it is important to pay attention to the road ahead. Inattentive driving will often lead to deadly collisions. Phones, food, the radio, and even GPS systems can be problematic when a driver’s eyes need to be on the road ahead. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also reminds drivers to slow down when they enter work zones, and to look for the workers in the road and to give them plenty of extra room. Never follow vehicles too closely in a work zone. The lanes may be small, and driving in these areas is extremely dangerous when motorists do not proceed with extreme caution. The workers performing maintenance on our roads are often outside of their vehicles to carry out their jobs. These workers are at a high risk of injury. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:https://www.wjbf.com/ap-top-news/3-ga-men-killed-in-crash-on-i-40-box-truck-driver-charged/ and https://www.workzonesafety.org/crash-information/work-zone-fatal-crashes-fatalities/#national and https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ourroads/work-zones-safety-tips