JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — The summer road construction season is well underway, and this morning, Jessamine County residents awoke to the painful reminder that those projects can present some dangerous situations. One worker was critically injured after being struck by an oncoming pick-up truck.
“We don’t know exactly what happened at this point,” said Sergeant Kevin Grimes of the Nicholasville Police Department.
Grimes went on to say that this stretch of U.S. 27 isn’t well lit, and that could’ve played a role, but he won’t know for sure until an investigation is completed. Grimes said the injured worker was taken to UK hospital, and another driver was treated for minor injuries.
In 2021 alone, Kentucky recorded more than 1,200 work zone accidents. 299 people were injured, and seven were killed.
“It’s someone’s brother, someone’s sister. These are people that want to get home at the end of the day to their families,” said Natasha Lacy of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Speaking from the District 7 Lexington headquarters, Lacy talked about the need to reduce speed while driving through work zones. She was standing a few feet from a plaque, on which the names of crew members who were killed over the years while working on Kentucky’s roads hangs on the wall. Brandon McIntosh nearly ended up on that list 15 years ago.
“A punctured lung, broken clavicle, right femur fracture, busted ribs, mild traumatic brain injury, road rash over most of my body,” he said of the numerous injuries he sustained during a work zone accident.
McIntosh said he spent eight days in the hospital and needed months of physical therapy.
“Pretty much had to learn how to walk again,” he said.
Four months later, he was back on the job. 15 years later, he’s still urging drivers to use caution when driving through these zones.
“Reduce speed. They need to make sure they’re being very vigilant and paying attention to their surroundings,” he said.
Lacy warned of fines doubling when a driver is caught speeding in a work zone. Both she and McIntosh also stressed the danger of being on your phone while in or approaching a road work area.
