The New Jersey construction accident attorneys at Breslin and Breslin are reporting that the co-workers of Anthony Gallone, who was killed while working to maintain the New Jersey Turnpike, want drivers to think of him the next time they’re about to speed through a construction zone.
Gallone, 32, was hit by a box truck while removing a shredded piece of tire from the highway in Kearny.
“When we lost Anthony, it was a loss to the (Turnpike) family, to the entire organization” said Kevin McCarthy, president of the union that represents maintenance workers. “He was good hearted, he always had a smile on his face.”
This week is designated national work zone safety week, and, for state workers, it is about not adding any names to a monuments at the Turnpike Authority and Department of Transportation headquarters.
In 2013, six people were killed in work zones in New Jersey, and five of them were workers on the job, according to statistics from workzonesafety.org. That number decreased from 10 fatalities in 2012, two of which were workers.
State Department of Transportation officials have placed 36 orange traffic cones draped with black ribbons at the site of the NJDOT Employee Memorial, said Kevin Israel, a spokesman.
“Each cone represents an NJDOT employee, one of our co-workers, killed in a highway accident since 1946,” he said. “Each gave their life in service to the department and the people of New Jersey.”
Messages on overhead video signs will remind drivers that it’s work zone safety week and to slow down to protect the lives of workers.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages. Injured construction workers have the same rights to workers’ compensation as any other employees, but a construction accident might result in additional rights of financial recovery. If you are a construction worker who got hurt on the job in Bergen County, Passaic County or Hudson County, contact a personal injury lawyer at Breslin & Breslin for more information about your legal options.
