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ARCHDALE, N.C. – A Tuesday accident on Interstate 85 in Randolph County underscores the need for more awareness in highway work zones.

A van drove into the median, then back across the highway, hitting a construction worker alongside the interstate.

Construction crews frequently work only feet from cars moving at high speeds, like the crew of about a half dozen working by I-85 in Randolph County Wednesday, just north of N.C. Highway 62.

“It's somewhat nerve-wracking,” said N.C. Department of Transportation Assistant Resident Engineer Bill Snell.

The victim of Tuesday's accident was installing reflectors on the interstate just south of the Randolph County line.

“The live travel lane was 12 feet from where he was working, so the motorist broke into the work zone and stuck the worker,” said Snell.

Safety barrels don't provide much protection; there was crushed one near the crash scene, with a piece of yellow caution tape near it.

The worker lost a kidney and suffered broken arms and ribs.

“It doesn't take much to get a man killed,” said Snell.

The driver of the van was charged with driving while impaired and reckless driving. The worker is expected to recover.

The DOT says in 2008, 1,463 people were injured in crashes in North Carolina highway work zones – 21 people were killed. There were a total of 2,381 crashes in the state's more than 200 work zones.

The DOT says speeding and distracted driving accounts for more than half the work zone crashes in the state.

"Motorists should take into consideration that people are out here working, and the damage they can do with their vehicle,” said Snell. “Pay attention when you're going through these work zones, drive a little less aggressively than you normally would.”

And they ask drivers to keep in mind what it would be like if someone drove through their workplace at highway speeds -- only a few feet away.

“A man doesn't have any chance against a vehicle traveling 50 miles an hour,” said Snell.

It's something to remember during National Work Zone Awareness Week, which starts April 19.