A loose drainage grate on US 65 in Springfield Missouri caused a single car accident last Wednesday. Two people were traveling southbound when their car hit a loose drainage grate between Chestnut Expressway and Sunshine Street and flipped over.
According to police, both people walked away from the crash uninjured. Highway workers will work to repair other drainage grates as a precaution.
Although there were no reported injuries in this case, more than 1,000 people die each year as a result of highway construction related accidents, and thousands more are seriously injured. Some of the causes of these accidents are:
- Inadequate signs, construction area not clearly marked, no warning signs, warning signs not visible
- Narrow lanes, no shoulder, lanes not properly marked
- Careless or reckless operation of construction machinery or construction vehicle
- Inadequate buffer zone prior to construction zone, not enough time to slow down or react
- Open trenches or open pits
- Uneven pavement, broken pavement
Highway construction areas can be difficult to navigate for even the best of drivers. The presence of pedestrian construction workers, heavy trucks and industrial equipment can lead to a confusing maze, often at rapidly changing speeds.