State Police and investigators responded to an accident involving a dump truck and a tractor-trailer at approximately 11:00 a.m. on Sept. 3. It happened along the Pennsylvania Turnpike near an overpass in Upper Merion Township. A Pennsylvania Turnpike worker suffered minor injures in the accident, which caused delays in the eastbound lanes as an investigation was conducted.

An early investigators’ account stating that the worker was struck by the tractor-trailer was later amended. Their revised account stated that the worker was in a dump truck at the time of the accident and fell from the truck upon impact.

The worker was reportedly conscious while being transported to an area hospital for treatment. The driver of the tractor-trailer was reportedly facing traffic citations following the accident. Information was not given regarding factors that may have contributed to the accident.

Many workers who perform their job duties along the state’s network of highways face considerable danger on a frequent basis. When a worker suffers an injury that causes him or her to miss work for an extended duration, filing a workers’ compensation claim is often a standard response to help recover financially from lost work hours and necessary medical treatments.

In some circumstances, however, an employer may express an intent to deny the validity of part or all of a workers’ compensation claim. Reasons for a denial could vary from claims of exaggerated injuries to the presence of drugs in a worker’s system when an accident occurs. A worker who sees a denial as a possibility but believes his or her claim is legitimate may wish to seek an attorney’s advice beforehand in order to adequately prepare for an appeal if necessary.

Source: WPVI, “Pa. turnpike worker injured in crash,” September 03, 2014