• 30
  • January
    2012

Highway construction accidents are common in Pennsylvania, but typically it's a worker - not a motorist - who gets injured. The circumstances were unusual in a recent construction accident on the New Jersey Turnpike, where a law-abiding driver was nearly decapitated while driving his van on a Wednesday morning.

The motorist was driving north on the turnpike when a steel beam struck his van and tore the roof off, instantly turning it into a crudely-made convertible. Amazingly, the 64-year-old man survived the nearly fatal accident, suffering only a broken thumb and lacerations to his face and hands. He was treated at the hospital and released in a matter of hours.

Both NJ state police and the construction company - PFK-Mark III, Inc. of Newtown, PA - are investigating the accident, but it's obvious that jobsite negligence nearly caused the death of a man. Preliminary findings reported that the construction crew was using a crane to raise the beam, but the beam pivoted and swung across the turnpike.

If you or a loved one is seriously injured or killed in a construction accident, contact an experienced Pennsylvania construction accident attorney to discuss your legal options for recovering damages.

Source: NBC10 Philadelphia, "Steel beam smashed NJ Turnpike driver, man survives," Teresa Masterson, Jan. 19, 2012