It is the time of year when you are most likely to see road crews working to repair Jonesboro streets and the highways and interstates in our area. There are a number of safety concerns for those road construction workers, including the risks of being injured by the machinery they use on a daily basis.
The greatest danger to those workers is posed by passing motorists, however. Far too often, drivers are distracted or driving at excessive speeds through work zones, raising the risks of collisions, injuries and fatalities.
When you pass a road work zone, you will often notice a piece of equipment that is just sitting there quietly. It makes no noise and has no workers maneuvering it around the site. But in its unmoving silence, the attenuator truck might be the most important piece of equipment around.
the attenuator truck goes by a variety of names, including crash truck, safety truck, traffic control truck, hero truck, cushion truck and others. The names probably make the purpose of the equipment clear: it is there to absorb the impact the kinetic energy of a crash and save workers’ lives. (The attenuator is a large block-like device that sits at the back of the truck that hauls it to the work site.)
We read recently of a crash in which a motorist slammed their vehicle into the attenuator. The equipment did its job, absorbing the crash impact. Though four workers were injured, their injuries were minor.
A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Transportation said, “The attenuator did perform as it was expected to and in this situation, we were very fortunate none of our workers that were out there today were seriously injured.”
Those workers and their families are undoubtedly grateful that the attenuator was in place. Not all workers are as fortunate in escaping serious injury, however.
If you have been injured in your Georgia workplace and then been denied the workers’ compensation benefits you deserve, contact a Jonesboro attorney experienced in protecting rights and benefits in workers’ comp appeals.