Road crew worker seriously injured after being struck by vehicle during overnight shift

A member of a road work crew was seriously injured overnight after being struck by a vehicle while working on Stouffville Road in Ontario.

York Regional Police said the crew member was struck shortly after 3 a.m. while working on Stouffville Road between Warden Avenue and Kennedy Road. The force said the worker was taken to hospital, though the extent of the injuries was not immediately known at the time of the initial police notice.

Paramedics told CP24 that two people were assessed at the scene, and one was transported to a trauma centre in serious condition. No details on the worker's identity, age, or employer have been released, and no other information about the collision, including whether the vehicle remained at the scene, has been made public.

Police response and road closures

York Regional Police confirmed that road closures are in effect on Stouffville Road between Warden Avenue and Kennedy Road while investigators work the scene. The force advised drivers to expect delays and to avoid the area entirely while the investigation continues.

Police have asked anyone with information about the collision to contact York Regional Police 5 District at 905-830-0303, extension 7500. No timeline has been given for when the road closures will be lifted.

No further details are available as of the writing of this story.

Here are the most recent numbers of critical injuries and fatalities in the road construction sector in Ontario, according to data from the provincial government:

How to protect road construction workers?

Here’s how employers can protect road construction workers, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS):

1. Elimination and engineering controls: Employers should try to eliminate the hazard at the design phase by considering full road closures and alternate routes before work begins. Where a full closure isn't possible, they should physically separate workers from traffic and request reduced speed limits from the road authority.
2. Traffic management plan: A formal plan should account for the type and duration of work, the work zone's layout, and the signalling or traffic control devices required. Properly designed work zones include separate advance warning, transition, buffer, work, and termination areas to give drivers time to adjust.
3. Physical protection devices: Warning devices, closure and guidance tools, and dedicated protection equipment work together to manage the work zone safely. Cones and barrels only guide traffic and do not protect workers from a collision, so buffer vehicles equipped with attenuators, or crash trucks, are recommended for higher-risk work.
4. Traffic control persons: Traffic control persons should supplement, not replace, barriers, signals, and other primary traffic control methods, and should only be used when those methods aren't sufficient. They must receive proper training and certification, with Ontario specifically requiring written and oral instruction in a language the worker understands.
5. Personal protective equipment: Road workers should wear a hard hat with retro-reflective striping and CSA-certified protective footwear at minimum. They should also wear high-visibility clothing that meets the CSA Standard Z96-22, with employers confirming any additional provincial requirements.