The speed led to the I-695 crash that killed six workers

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Brief description of the dive:

Two drivers driving at high speed are believed to have caused a crash on I-695 near Baltimore in March 2023 in which six construction workers died– according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board released earlier this month.
The drivers were traveling at about 120 mph when the collision occurred, sending one car into a highway construction zone where it struck and killed six workers. The report listed excessive speed of both vehicles and an unsafe lane change by one of the drivers as probable causes of the accident.
Although one of the cars drove through a hole in the concrete barriers in the work zone, the report shows that the road’s builder, Concrete General Inc. based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, conducted a daily safety assessment and found no significant problems in the days before the accident. .

Diving Insights:

The report said a tight work zone on the left shoulder of the highway required coordination of work areas, and workers were working in designated areas at the time of the accident.

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

Foremen held daily briefings before working with crews.
The project superintendent checked the site daily and met regularly with the Maryland State Highway Administration project engineer to discuss the scope of work.
The contractor and MDSHA staff conducted daily traffic control maintenance.
Quality assurance inspectors from the MDSHA district office visited the plant once a week.

The NTSB report also noted the absence of one “Shoulder Closed” sign and one “Trucks Entering Highway” sign. The contractor claimed that the vehicle had knocked down a “Arm Closed” sign and was scheduled to be replaced. Crews posted portable signs announcing truck arrivals and departures, rather than one permanent sign.

Additionally, a truck-mounted security vehicle with a silencer was parked behind the barrier opening without blocking it. According to a report released Oct. 9, MDSHA and the contractor determined that the vehicle was used when the project required lane closures. The NTSB found the truck was used in a manner consistent with guidelines.

Finally, there were no speed cameras near the work 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 speeding had not been identified in the work zone prior to the accident.

The NTSB has recommended that states and local governments use automatic speed cameras in work zones to improve safety. After the disaster, Maryland updated its laws to include higher penalties and allow the use of unmanned cameras in work zones. MDSHA has also implemented changes to work zone procedures, such as more lane closures, protective vehicles, and variable speed zones when workers are present.

Court cases

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

He claims the fallen “Arm Closed” sign was not reinstalled and the truck was parked in a location that did not protect workers from the 30-foot opening 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 the lawsuit was filed and MDSHA said in a statement shared with The Baltimore Sun that the signs would not have prevented the disaster – a claim apparently supported by the NTSB findings.

As for the drivers, Melachi Brown pleaded guilty to six counts of causing a road accident by negligence and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The trial of Lisa Lea, whose vehicle entered the work area, is scheduled for April 2025.

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

DiMaggio, an employee of the consulting and construction company KCI Technologies Inc. in Sparks, Maryland, was working on testing materials on a job site when she died.