Speed ​​led to an I-695 crash that killed six workers

Dive short:

• Two drivers traveling at high speeds most likely caused the March 2023 crash on I-695 near Baltimore killing six construction workersThis is evident from a report released earlier this month by the National Transportation Safety Board.
• The motorists were traveling at about 125 mph when they collided, sending one car into a highway work zone where six workers were struck and killed. The report cited the excessive speed of the two vehicles and unsafe lane changes by one driver as the likely causes of the accident.
• Although one of the cars drove through an opening in the work area’s concrete barriers, the report found that the road builder, Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Concrete General Inc., had conducted daily safety assessments and found no significant problems in the days before the crash had found. .

Diving insight:

The tight work zone on the highway’s left shoulder required coordination of work areas, the report found, and workers were working in their assigned areas at the time of the crash.

In addition to the daily safety assessments, the report said:

• Foremen had a daily pre-work briefing with the crews.
• The project inspector inspected the site daily and held regular meetings with the Maryland State Highway Administration project engineer to discuss the work.
• The contractor and MDSHA personnel performed the daily maintenance of the traffic inspections.
• Quality assurance inspectors from the MDSHA district office visited the site weekly.

The NTSB report also noted the absence of one “Shoulder Closed” sign and one “Trucks Entering Highway” sign. The contractor claimed that a vehicle had knocked over the ‘Shoulder Closed’ sign and that it would be replaced. Crews installed portable signs to indicate when trucks would be coming and going, instead of one permanent sign.

In addition, a truck-mounted protection vehicle was parked behind the barrier opening, without blocking it. MDSHA and the contractor said the vehicle was used when the project required lane closures, according to the report released Oct. 9. NTSB said the truck was operated in a manner consistent with guidelines.

Finally, there were no speed cameras near the construction site at the time of the collapse. Maryland law allows the use of automated speed cameras in work zones. MDSHA uses a number of factors to determine camera placement, and prior to the crash, the work zone had not been identified as a speeding area.

The NTSB has recommended that states and local authorities adopt the use of automated speed cameras in work zones to improve safety. After the crash, Maryland updated its laws to include higher fines and cameras without human operators in work zones. MDSHA has also implemented changes to work zone procedures, such as increased lane closures, protective vehicles and variable speed zones when workers are present.

Lawsuits

On October 10, the family of Sybil DiMaggio, one of the workers who diedfiled suit against Concrete General, the state of Maryland and the two motorists. The lawsuit alleges that the contractor failed “to ensure a safe construction zone for those working on the project,” the Baltimore Banner reported.

It is alleged that the fallen ‘Shoulder Closed’ sign was not re-erected and that the truck was parked in a location that did not protect workers from the 100-foot gap between the barriers.

Nevertheless, the NTSB report indicates that these factors were not abnormal.

Concrete General did not respond to Construction Dive’s request for comment at the time of the lawsuit, and MDSHA said in a statement shared with The Baltimore Sun that signs could not have prevented the crash — a claim seemingly supported by the NTSB’s findings.

As for the drivers, Melachi Brown pleaded guilty to six counts of negligent homicide and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The trial of Lisa Lea, whose vehicle entered the work zone, is scheduled for April 2025.

Lea’s attorney did not respond to Construction Dive’s request for comment on the lawsuit, and Brown’s attorney could not be reached for comment at the time of the family’s lawsuit.

DiMaggio, an employee of Sparks, Maryland, consulting and construction company KCI Technologies Inc., was working at the construction site doing materials testing when she was killed.