It’s happened again: Another drunk driver has hit yet another person working at a construction site in Massachusetts. This time, the incident occurred in Lexington. Late on the night of September 22, a Belmont man struck a civilian traffic officer who was directing vehicles at a road-work site at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Follen Road, just off Mass Avenue near Wilson Farm.

The driver was reportedly moving at a low rate of speed, but the officer suffered a severely broken ankle, which required surgery to repair. The driver admitted that he’d had too much to drink and shouldn’t have been behind the wheel. He was arrested at the scene and charged with causing serious bodily injury, operating negligently to endanger, and operating under the influence of alcohol. It was his second OUI offense.

Dangerous Run at Work Sites

We’ve seen a lot of this kind of crash (at work zones and often involving drivers under the influence) since the beginning of the summer. In fact, we talked about it here on our blog back in July. At that time, eastern Massachusetts had seen a run of four similar crashes in just over ten days. All of the drivers in those incidents, which left one highway worker dead, three others injured, and caused serious damage to several vehicles, were alleged to be drunk.

Since then, the problem has continued. In late July, a Revere man crashed into a construction warning sign in the Callahan Tunnel. He was cited for OUI and reportedly also apologized at the scene for driving drunk. Fortunately, no one was injured in that crash.

Slightly farther afield, a Massachusetts man was charged with operating under the influence of drugs after crashing into a construction site in Providence, injuring himself and another driver. The workers and detail officer at the site escaped injury only because the driver crashed into both a work truck and a police cruiser that had been positioned as barriers to protect against exactly that risk.

Drunk Driving and Road Work a Dangerous Mix

Every driver should know by now that alcohol and driving don’t mix. Adding road construction to the equation seems to be an especially dangerous combination for Bay State drivers.

An analysis by the Boston Herald found that there were nearly 900 crashes into construction sites in Massachusetts during 2015. Alcohol was not the cause in every case, but it plays a part in far too many. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that an average of 137 deaths could be blamed on drunk driving every year in Massachusetts between 2003 and 2012, and they found that drivers here, on average, were about 15 percent more likely to drive after drinking too much compared to the national average.

Boston Car Crash Attorney

At Joel H. Schwartz, PC, we specialize in personal injury law. We’re very experienced with cases that involve auto accidents, whether the crash involves a car, a truck, a bicycle or a pedestrian, or other complicating factors such as driving under the influence or violating the safety guidelines at a road construction site.

If you or a member of your family has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident, schedule a free consultation with us to discuss the specifics of your case and learn how we can help. Our number is 1-800-660-2270, or you can leave your contact details in the form below to have someone reach you at your convenience.