By: Lucas Guinn
Every time you drive through a work zone, there are people just a few feet away from traffic doing their jobs. Fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters are working long hours to improve the roads we all use and rely on every day. At the end of their shift, they want the same thing everybody else does — to make it home safely to their families.
I know that because in 2019 I was one of the workers hit in a work-zone crash.
I work as a construction engineer for Mago Construction Company, and that day our crew was performing roadway patching work for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. What started as a normal workday quickly turned into something that changed my life and family forever.
Police told me the crash was caused by a distracted driver who entered our work zone and struck me and one of my co-workers. I suffered minor brain bleeds, a broken leg that required a titanium rod and six screws, along with serious ligament damage in my knee. It took several months before I could fully recover and return to a somewhat normal life.
While the recovery was long and difficult, the hardest part was watching what my family went through. My wife had to continue working while also taking care of me. It put stress on both of us physically, emotionally and professionally. By the grace of God, we made it through.
That is why work-zone safety matters so much.
As Memorial Day weekend approaches and more Kentuckians hit the roads for the summer, work zones will become even busier. Slowing down can feel frustrating when you are trying to get somewhere quickly, especially when we all have schedules, plans and places to be. But arriving a few minutes later is far better than causing a crash that changes someone’s life forever.
Too often, drivers become distracted in work zones. Whether it is looking down at your phone, changing the radio station or just looking at your surroundings, taking your eyes off the road for a few seconds can have devastating consequences.
When you see the orange signs warning about an upcoming work zone, that should be your signal to slow down and focus on the road.
This holiday season, think about work-zone crews’ safety as if they were members of your own family.
Because behind every hard hat is a human being just trying to make it home to their loved ones too.
