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Construction Worker Killed in Suspected Drunk Driving Accident

A construction worker, who was supervising activity in a construction zone in Sacramento, was killed when a driver struck him.

The worker Arnoldo Placencia was engaged in road repairs with two other workers when he was struck by Sacramento resident Nancy Richards. 26-year-old Richards was driving at 75mph when her car veered into a construction zone, and struck Placencia. Nancy’s car then traveled on, crashing into a flatbed truck that was parked there. She also died in the construction accident. The accident occurred at about 1:20am when Placencia was overseeing the night shift. The construction zone had a 40mph speed limit. Placencia seems to have been thrown about 100 feet into the air. Another worker on the site received minor head injuries, and was treated for these.

Authorities have said that Richards’ body smelt of alcohol, but whether she was drunk at the time of the accident can only be confirmed after toxicology test results come in. Investigations will involve retracing Richards’ activities in the 24 hours before the accident to determine the cause of the crash. That is expected to take many months.

Placencia’s daughter is due to marry in September. In November, he and his wife Alicia would have celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Ironically, he seems to have taken great care about his safety because of his wife’s fears about the dangers on a construction site.

There is a reason why construction zones have lowered speed limits. These areas can quickly become congested because of construction material, workers and all the hectic activity that takes place while erection work is going on. Normal speed limits in a construction zone can be extremely dangerous even for experienced drivers. The risk of losing control of the vehicle and striking a construction barrier or, even worse, a worker, are too high to ignore. Richards, according to police, was driving around 75mph in a 40mph zone.

Alcohol and speed simply do not mix. On their own, these two are responsible for thousands of car accidents every year. When combined however, the potential for serious accidents that result in catastrophic injuries or deaths is even greater. A motorist driving at excessive speeds will be unable to control the vehicle when necessary. Any resulting accidents can be severe in impact, and end in severe injuries and deaths. Persons driving under the influence of alcohol may suffer from delayed response times and impaired judgment that can impact their ability to control the vehicle.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of construction accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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One response to “Construction Worker Killed in Suspected Drunk Driving Accident”

1. Juan writes:
   

   Uncle Arnold. I miss you. Thanks for being the loving warm man you always were. I miss your bear hugs.

   @ August 12th, 2009 at 15:48