Highway worker struck by truck

In Maryland last week, as highway workers tried to clear the roads of snow following the blizzard that hit that area, one worker was injured when the vehicle he was driving was hit by a tractor trailer.  The injured worker was towing an arrow board to alert traffic that one lane was closed ahead due to snow removal operations.  Even though he was towing an arrow board, a truck driver still managed to hit him.

Needless to say, it is a little perplexing to figure out how the truck driver missed the arrow board.  The likely culprit will probably be either distracted driving or fatigued driving, neither of which is an acceptable excuse for a professional truck driver.

Because this worker was injured on the job, he has a right to seek worker's compensation benefits.  He would also have a right to pursue a third party liability suit against the truck driver and his employer.  This would allow him to potentially recover a higher level of damages than he would receive just from worker's compensation.

However, the relationship between the third party trucking accident liability suit and the worker's compensation case is complex.  Had this occurred in Illinois, we would strongly recommend hiring an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer.