Doraville police say they have located and arrested a 24-year-old Atlanta woman who is suspected of fleeing the scene of an accident after hitting and killing a construction workeron Friday morning. The accident occurred off Buford Highway near Oakmont Avenue, when the construction worker — reportedly from Douglasville and working for C.W. Matthews — was standing on the roadside in a work zone, talking to a dump truck driver.
The driver of a green Kia Soul reportedly failed to maintain her travel lane, swerved into the work zone, and struck the worker. The force of the collision caused the worker to hit the dump truck as he was thrown from the scene. He was found dead by Doraville police, who were the first to respond. The driver reportedly left the scene of the accident, eventually traveling to Union City, where she was arrested.
Transportation accidents are one of the biggest risk to face construction workers in the Atlanta area. While injuries from most types of workplace accidents are compensated through the state’s worker’s compensation program, which is a type of no-fault insurance policy that nearly all employers in Georgia with at least three employees are required to purchase. Worker’s compensation provides wage replacement and medical coverage for employees who are injured in the workplace, as well as death benefits for family members if the employee is killed. However, there is an exception when it involves injuries caused by a third party (someone who is not your employee or your co-worker), such as a transportation accident that kills or injures a construction worker as he or she is on the job. Because a third party’s carelessness or recklessness was the cause of the accident, an injured worker can seek compensation through a personal injury claim, or family members can pursue compensation through a wrongful death claim.
Have you been injured at work at the result of a third party’s carelessness or recklessness? Contact an experienced accident attorney from Cambre & Associates for a free case evaluation.