A spate of accidents in New York City this past summer demonstrated something that we all know intuitively to be true: Construction work is dangerous.

And within this sphere, highway construction is among the most dangerous type, with workers having to contend not only with the hazards of machines and heavy equipment, but also with drivers speeding through the construction zone.

Recently, RGG&L partner Michael Glass represented a highway construction worker who sustained permanent injuries on the job, securing a $4.77-million settlement for the man just as jury selection was about to begin. This worker had been replacing the center median of Sunrise Highway on Long Island when a teenage driver lost control of her car and fishtailed over several lanes of traffic, skidding into the construction zone and into the worker. He was thrown 40 feet, suffering multiple fractures and serious, permanently disabling head injuries. The suit was against the driver for driving carelessly and against the general contractor for failing to provide appropriate safeguards from the speeding traffic for the workers at the site.

The money from the settlement will be used to fund the injured worker's substantial ongoing medical bills and to compensate his devoted wife, who has become his primary caretaker. "The lesson for us all," said Glass, "is to slow down and stay alert when driving through a construction zone. It is possible to come upon work being done just a few feet, or even inches, from the moving lane of traffic."