Duty of Care

Early Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Brian Flanagan, 47, of Manchester, New Jersey, was killed while working in a marked construction zone on the southbound outer roadway of the New Jersey Turnpike near milepost 87.7 in Edison, according to New Jersey State Police as reported by NJ.com, New Jersey 101.5, and Patch. At about 3:52 a.m., a GMC SUV entered the work zone, where two lanes were closed, and struck Flanagan, who was part of a roadway striping crew. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver left the scene. State Police later arrested Anthony Bernardi, 40, of Edison, and charged him with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, second-degree vehicular homicide, and second-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in fatal injuries; New Jersey 101.5 reported that, according to an affidavit, investigators were helped by a partial license plate from other workers and a tractor-trailer dash camera, and that the driver told investigators he had been drinking. The charges are accusations, and the investigation continues. Flanagan was also chief of the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company in Manchester.

For highway work zones, the defenses to check are the ones that do not depend on every driver paying attention: positive protection and buffer space between traffic and the crew, protective vehicles or attenuators where the work allows, strong lighting and high-visibility gear at night, and an escape path and lookout planned before anyone steps out.

• NJ.com
• New Jersey 101.5
• Patch