"Trying to stay safe:" Construction zone accidents on the increase as summer travel peaks
MILWAUKEE -- Construction zones are starting to look more like crash zones. We've seen several serious, even fatal, crashes in the past two weeks.
Tuesday evening, all lanes were closed on I-41 at the Highway 145 exit. Tuesday evening, July 5th all lanes were closed for over an hour as crews worked to clear a crash scene.
Summer in Wisconsin means lots of family vacations.
William Dumovich, his wife and kids are on their way back from a trip up north. Like most drivers on I-41 this time of year, he knows summer also means construction season.
William Dumovich
"Makes it a little nerve-wracking I guess when people aren't paying attention and you have that thing and people aren't letting you in, and everything's merging and you're just trying to stay safe," said Dumovich.
Wisconsin State Patrol says multiple serious crashes have been reported in construction zones along the interstate recently.
Jackson fire officials say nine were hurt in a crash involving three vehicles on I-41 southbound at Highway 145 on Tuesday.
Nine were hurt in a crash involving three vehicles on I-41 southbound at Highway 145
Earlier on Tuesday, a man was killed when he rear-ended a semi near Highway 23 in Fond du Lac.
On June 22nd, two people were killed in a similar incident in the same location.
Fatal crash in Fond du Lac County
"It's a horrible event to have that many fatalities at all, especially in such a short period of time in roughly the same area," said Sergeant Luke Newman, Wisconsin State Patrol.
Sergeant Luke Newman reminds drivers fines double when the orange barrels are out and workers are present.
"They are a bigger hazard because of lane restrictions, traffic flowing into a narrow area, they're constantly changing as well," said Newman.
construction zone crashes
Dumovich believes many of these dangerous situations on the roads are caused by people texting behind the wheel.
"It's very frustrating to see because you're endangering yourself and everybody else. Very frustrating," said Dumovich.
We've heard it dozens of times, but the Wisconsin State Patrol says it's especially important to follow in construction zones: slow down, increase your following distance, put down the cell phones and buckle up.