RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolinians are accustomed to seeing a sea of orange cones across the state all year long, but law enforcement agencies are driving home the message of staying safe in work zones.

On April 11, Michelle Von Seggern was struck by a car and killed while helping pave a road in a work zone in Wilmington.

What You Need To Know

  • National Work Zone Safety week was April 15-19

  • 170 people were killed in work zones across North Carolina in 2019-23, according to the state Department of Transportation

  • A Barnhill Contracting Co. worker was killed when she was struck by a passenger vehicle in a work zone on April 11

  • State Highway Patrol 1st Sgt. Kendell Jackson provides safety tips to keep you and workers safe while navigating through work zones

According to Barnhill Contracting Company, where Von Seggern worked, she was a mother of six and a grandmother to seven. 

Her death happened the day National Work Zone Safety Week began, serving as a heartbreaking reminder to stay vigilant and use caution while navigating construction zones.

The loss is something fellow North Carolinians like Thomas Ramirez know all too well. His mom, Anna Bradshaw, a state Department of Transportation worker, was killed in a work zone in August 2022.

The North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program invited Ramirez to speak at a work zone safety event in Northampton County, as the National Work Zone Memorial recently traveled to the Tar Heel State.

He spoke about the moment of the crash, as his mother was working to direct traffic on a rural road after a storm.

“A driver who was not paying attention and distracted had entered the work zone unknowingly," Ramirez said. "It was only after looking up and seeing a tree directly in his path that he panicked and did the first thing that we naturally do, which is to slam on brakes. And because he had failed to reduce his speed in the work zone, he lost control of his vehicle."

“The vehicle struck and killed her. I know that my mom's story ends very sadly, but I want you to know that the narrative in your stories do not have to,” Ramirez said. “By continuing to spread her story about the tragedy that happened, I think that we can continue to spread a safety message to drivers out there, about being alert and work zones and paying more attention.”

First Sgt. Kendell Jackson with the N.C. State Highway Patrol has been working in law enforcement for 27 years and shared the following quick tips to stay safe in work zones:

  • Pay attention, do not drive distracted
  • Do not drive too fast or too slow in work zones
  • Follow detour signs, not your navigation system
  • Allow plenty of room between you and the vehicle you’re following

While driving through work zones, have compassion and be cautious and careful around workers, he says.

“I've been in work zones where people I know were the ones that were killed. I can tell you one that I went to, that my brother's youth pastor and his wife that was pregnant was the ones that got killed,” Jackson said. “I was the first one there… We're not just making a phone call or visiting people we don't know. A lot of times, [they’re] people we do.”

Lastly, work zone traffic laws can vary state by state. Jackson reminds drivers that in North Carolina, you must obey the work zone speed limit at all times, even if no workers are present.