National Work Zone Memorial spotlights the cost of work zone crashes

National Work Zone Memorial spotlights the cost of work zone crashes

20 new names in 2025 brings work zone crash victims on Memorial to 1,653

This year, the American Traffic Safety Services (ATSS) Foundation added 20 names to the National Work Zone Memorial. It’s a somber annual ritual of respect and remembrance.

“The goal of the National Work Zone Memorial is to never forget the individuals killed in work zone incidents and, by sending this Memorial across the country for public display, to prevent more lives being lost,” said ATSS Foundation Director Lori Diaz. “Every life is sacred. Every loss leaves a hole in the hearts of family members. Everyone can play a role in preventing work zone deaths.”

The 20 people whose names were added this year are all men, including four from Maryland. Three of them – including a father and son – were killed on March 22, 2023, in what was then the deadliest work zone tragedy in Maryland history. Six lives were lost that day and six more workers were killed one year later when a cargo ship struck a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the bridge’s collapse.

In the March 2023 incident, Maryland prosecutors said that two cars, reportedly traveling at speeds exceeding 120 mph, collided when one attempted to change lanes. That vehicle flipped into the work zone, killing five men and one woman.

Mahlon Joseph “Stick” Simmons II, his son Mahlon Joseph “MJ” Simmons III and co-worker Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar were killed in that crash along Interstate 695 in the Woodlawn area of Baltimore County, Maryland.

The fourth man killed in Maryland who was added to the Memorial this year is Ever Anibal Aleman. His death occurred in Hagerstown on June 13, 2022.

Three men added this year were killed in work zone incidents in Michigan and two each were killed in Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Connecticut, Iowa, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin each are represented by one work zone death. The 20 deaths occurred in work zone incidents between June 2022 and November 2024.

“The National Work Zone Memorial – Respect and Remembrance: Reflections of Life on the Road” was unveiled more than two decades ago. It is a living tribute to the men, women and children killed as a result of work zone incidents.

Each year, the ATSS Foundation unveils an in-memoriam video at ATSSA’s Annual Convention & Traffic Expo as a tribute to the people whose names were added to the Memorial.

The National Work Zone Memorial exists in two formats—a physical Memorial that is 20 feet wide and 7 feet tall, and a digital Memorial that can be accessed online. Both are available for display at events that seek to heighten attention to work zone safety.

The traveling Memorial is available for a fee that covers the expenses of shipping and maintenance. An online application is available to request it for an event. For 2025, ATSSA, in partnership with the ATSS Foundation, agreed to cover the hosting fee for up to five public agencies to host the traveling Memorial. The agencies must be holding a media event this calendar year and not have previously hosted the Memorial.

The 30-minute digital Memorial is a powerful yet cost-effective option for groups with limited space and resources. It can be used at both in-person and virtual meetings for groups wanting to raise awareness. Complete the online application to utilize it at an upcoming meeting.

Names are added to the Memorial each year as a result of the efforts of family, friends and former co-workers who submit them to the Foundation. But the number of names is just a fraction of the lives lost in work zones. The Memorial includes the names of roadway workers as well as motorists, pedestrians, law enforcement officers, public safety officials and children. Details for submitting a name and a form for use are available on the National Work Zone Memorial page.